Page 76 of Loud Unspoken Memories

With my heart still beating out of my chest, arms wrap around me from behind, squeezing me tightly. I turn and embrace her, air swelling my lungs in a cleansing breath.

She pulls away and starts pounding on my chest. “You son of a bitch!” she yells. “You could have died. What would I have done?” Her eyes glisten with tears. “You could have died. I can’t… I can’t… do this without you.”

I tug her close and envelop her in my arms. “Shhh. It’s okay. We’re okay. We’re safe.”

“For now. What about later? What if he comes back? What if cell service goes out and you have to climb the tower? What if you’re alone and need help? Dallas, what if—”

I do the only thing I can think of to shut her up. I kiss her. I pull her onto my lap and kiss her as hard as I ever have. I tell her with my lips, my mouth, my tongue, that everything is goingto be okay. And she tells me with hers that everything she said is true. That she worries about me. That she wants to protect me as much as I want to protect her. That she…loves me?

I draw back and look deep into her eyes, searching for the answer to the question while at the same time wondering what I really want it to be.

No matter what the answer is, one thing I know to be true is that I’m not capable of love. I can’t give her what she needs. What she deserves. She deserves everything. She deserves so much more than I could ever offer her. But I can offer her this, here, now.

The ticking clock in my head makes another appearance.Two days, my inner voice echoes. Two more days I have her. And I vow to make every minute of those days count. Because all those minutes, they might have to last me a lifetime.

Chapter Thirty-one

Dallas

No matter how much I’d like to strip her naked and have her right here in the back seat of my truck, it’s just too damn cold. Besides, Bex is still barking, and the bear hasn’t left the vicinity. In fact, he’s standing on my front porch.

Marti’s attention has shifted from me to the bear. Her hands press against the window as she watches his every move. “Can bears open house doors too?” she asks, shooting me a look over her shoulder.

“Probably. But let’s hope not. There’s a lot of food in there. Not to mention Bex.”

Her hand flies to her mouth. “Oh God. Even if he can’t open a door, he can easily break a window. Dallas, we have to do something.”

She’s right. I climb into the driver’s seat and press down on the steering wheel, blasting the horn over and over.

Marti sticks her head between the front seats. “I thought you said not to scream. This is so much louder.”

“Loud noises are fine as long as we’re protected. Noise could potentially scare him away. But the bear could also think a scream is a prey animal’s sound. It wasn’t worth the risk. Believe me, if he’d attacked us, I’d have yelled my fucking head off.”

“Look!” Marti cries when the bear turns our way.

We watch him, still on the front porch but looking at the truck now. I could swear it’s like he’s trying to decide if getting into the cabin is worth the trouble anymore. After what seems like minutes, but is probably only seconds, he gets down on all fours and scurries down the porch stairs and out into the woods.

I keep honking the horn for several minutes, hoping it will drive him farther away.

Marti gets in the passenger seat. “Do you think he’ll come back?”

I shrug. “Hard to say. There are bears all over Tug Hill. This was their habitat long before people came around.”

“How do you do it? How do you go on hikes and stay outside all the time when things like that are out there?”

“Bears tend to stay away from people for the most part. You’re much more likely to die from exposure or an accident up here than a bear attack.”

Her eyes close tightly. “You’re not making me feel any better. Especially knowing you’re alone.”

I take her cold hand in mine. “I’m not alone now.”

The countdown clock appears in my head again, reminding me of just how soon I will be.

She nods sadly, making me wonder if the same clock is inherhead.

“Come on. I think the coast is clear. Just wait here for a second.”

I get out, retrieve my gloves and the coffee mug, then go around to her side, keeping an eye on the woods. I open her door and she hops out, darting across the snow to the cabin, flinging open the door and waving impatiently for me to hurry up.

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