Page 10 of Devotion By the Mountain Man

“Shirley Temple!” she shouts, taking a seat in between Tessa and Luke. Tessa gives me a nod signaling its okay, so I turn away to make her drink and pour the other women their ciders. I notice the shopping bags filled with fabric beside them.

“What’s that all about?” I ask, pointing to the bags.

“Oh! These are Rosie’s new curtains. She had to stop and grab something at school, but she should be over in a minute,” Sophie tells me. “I had an amazing day with her today. She’s good for you Wade,” she says sincerely. I meet her gaze with a tight smile, unable to shake the feeling that something is about to go wrong.

“Thanks for going over there, Soph.” After a minute, I still can’t shake the feeling in the pit of my stomach. “How long ago did Rosie go to the school?”

“I don’t know, like twenty minutes ago? Why?” Tessa asks, clearly starting to get nervous.

“I-I just have a bad feeling,” I say, turning to Ethan and Scott and telling them what I’m thinking—what I think might be happening. “Go,” they say simultaneously.

“I’ll go with you,” Luke says, jumping off his stool and pressing kisses to Ruby and Tessa’s heads before booking it out of thebrewery with me. I’m glad to not be alone on the jog to the school.

“God, I hope I’m wrong,” I say to Luke. “But something about that Steve guy tells me he’s up to no good and I don’t want her to be alone.”

We run up to the school, just in time to see Tessa emerging from the building, bag of papers tucked beneath her arm. She meets my eyes with a grin, but her face falls a bit when she sees Luke beside me, notices how out of breath we are.

“Is everything okay?” she asks as I pull her into my arms, desperate to touch her, to know she’s alright. That nothing, no one, has harmed her.

“It is now,” I say, setting her down and grabbing her hand. Luke looks just as relieved next to me. I’m about to tell her how stupid I feel when I notice something moving from the bush by the corner of the building, the flash of metal catching my eye. Without thinking, my instinct takes over.

I push Rosie into Luke’s arms and shout “RUN!” just as I hear that bang that became all to familiar during my time in the navy. I see a flash of a sweaty, greasy head before a flash of pain hits me in the chest.

At least she got away, I think before everything goes black.

Chapter Seven

Rosie

I scream. At least, I think it’s me screaming. Sound seems to have disappeared for me as I thrash against Luke’s hold. I see the top of Steve’s head through the bushes, his greasy face peeking through the hole in the shrubbery.

“Rosie! Rosie! We have to get out of here, we have to get help!” Luke shouts into my ears. I’m still watching where Wade is laid on the ground, blood pooling around him, soaking his gorgeous black curls. I love everything about him and I never even told him.I should have told him.

When I look back up, I see that Steve is no longer in the bushes and when I look beyond, I spy his disgusting little body running away like the coward he is. Luke lets go of me and I immediately run to Wade. I put my hand by his mouth and can see him still breathing. Luke comes up next to me and kneels down.

“I have medical training from the military,” he says gently. “I’ll stay with him, you need to call 911 one right now,” he says, passing me his phone. He rips off the flannel he’s wearing before bunching it over Wade’s wound and using his arm to elevate his head.

“Okay,” I whisper. My fingers shake as I dial 911 and I blackout as I explain what happened. Within seconds, I hear sirens and let out a side of relief.

“He’s still breathing. I don’t think the damage should be too severe,” Luke says, trying to reassure me. I give him a watery smile.

“This never would have happened if it wasn’t for me,” I say sadly. Luke shakes his head. “Don’t think that way. Steve was going to lose it sooner or later, and I know for a fact Wade is glad it’s him on the ground right now and not you. You need to be strong for him. He loves you, you know,” Luke finishes.

“I love him, too,” I say softly. “I should have told him.”

“You will,” Luke says, much more confidently than I feel.

“Thank you for being here,” I tell him.

“I’d do anything for Wade and he’d do the same for me. I’m just glad I was here.”

“Me too.”

The ambulance pulls up a moment later and paramedics pull Wade off the ground, talking to Luke about the extent of his injuries. I sit there in shock as they wheel him into the ambulance.

“Do you want to go with him?” Luke asks me. “I can if you don’t want to,” he offers and I appreciate that he’s giving me an out, but I could never take it.

“I’ll go,” I say. “I need to be with him.”

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