Page 19 of Single Mom for the Mountain Men
Then, I recall what happened last night. Aiden and I had a very serious talk about my past, about the fears that weigh me down every day. I was finally honest with someone and talked to him about the horrible things I had been through in my marriage.
Aiden took it in stride, holding me tightly through the flashbacks to my past. I must have fallen asleep while we watched the end of the movie, and I’m assuming Aiden carried me to bed before heading home himself.
Feeling lighter than I have in years, I decide to go out on a walk, hoping to see Aiden and thank him for his kind words. I knew Aiden had this protective side to him, though it isn’t as obviouswith him as it is with his brothers. Seeing it in action made me feel immensely safe.
Putting on my leg warmers, I check on a sleeping Sophie. Wanting her to accompany me, I quickly wake her up. She’s grumpy as I help her put her clothes on, but a promise of warm pancakes with extra syrup gets her to comply. I unlock the front door and put my boots on. Cold wind brushes against my face immediately, and I take in a deep breath.
After fixing Sophie’s scarf, I step out of the cabin.
The weather is getting colder as the days pass, but so far, I’m enjoying this level of chill. Sophie shudders against me, her eyes blinking blearily against the faint morning light.
“It’s too early, Mommy,” she whines, the tip of her little nose going pink. I fix her scarf more tightly, so her neck isn’t exposed.
“It’s after eight, sweetheart. I have a secret that you might like to hear. We’re going to meet Aiden, if we’re lucky.”
“Will he make me pancakes?”
I pause, pretending to contemplate. “If he invites you in, yes.”
And there is no way Aiden would see Sophie and not invite her in for a quick bite to eat.
The leaves of the trees flutter as the wind blows, a bit stronger than usual, like an ominous warning. I clutch my hat, pressing my ears inside to protect them from the sudden cold.
I need to stop being as wary as I am. Nothing has happened yet, and nothing will. James has no idea where I am, and he can’t reach me.
Sophie and I walk down the long path that I usually take, which winds down to the left of my cabin, tracing through the trees, littered with pine needles. It’s tidy enough to let me know that it gets groomed on a regular basis.
The air and the sunlight grow on Sophie, and she swings our hands together as we walk side-by-side. She cocks her head here and there, even gasping when we see a rare monarch butterfly. It flutters in front of us, flying by without a worry in the world.
“Mom, catch it!” Sophie whisper-yells at me.
I glance at her, my brows raised. “I can’t, Soph. Do you know hard it is to catch a butterfly?”
“Daddy did it easily,” she comments casually, having moved on from the butterfly with how short her attention span is. She walks forward, not knowing how huge of an effect her words have had on me.
Hiding the shakiness in my legs, I don’t grace her with a reply, walking behind her at a leisurely pace. She still must think about her father, if she can mention him out of the blue like that. Thethought makes me nauseous enough to want to retreat to my room and lock myself in it for a few days.
The winding path crosses toward the brothers’ cabin, brushing by their front yard and then connecting to mine. As we walk toward their house, I suck my lower lip into my mouth. My attention is diverted, so when something moves in my peripheral vision, it takes me a moment to register.
It’s like a blip in my vision, darting by sharply.
I glance up, thinking that it must have been a small animal, like a squirrel or a cat. Sophie is walking ahead of me, oblivious as ever. It is then, when I am scanning the bushes and the trees far ahead of me, that I see a figure in all black.
I only catch a glimpse of the person for a second before he or she disappears behind a tall tree, but I know what I saw.
Fear, cold and slimy, crawls down my back as I grab Sophie’s shoulder tightly, pulling her back toward me. She resists, complaining as I manhandle her.
“Mommy, what–”
“Be quiet, Sophie,” I command her firmly, then shield her behind my legs.
I stand there frozen, not knowing what to do. A thousand scenarios run through my head, none of them with a favorableoutcome. The usually calming morning walk through the greenery has now turned into an experience of dread and terror that mar the pretty scene before me. Everything now appears intimidating, the net of safety shattered.
Who is that? Why are they hiding in the trees so early in the morning? Are they spying on someone? What if it’susthey are spying on?
My throat closes in terror as I wonder whether to trace my steps back or to make a run for it, since the other cabin is straight ahead. Going back means going back through the trees, and I don’t want to end up in a place where someone could hide easily.
I wouldn’t have been this scared if Sophie wasn’t with me. I don’t care if something happens to me, but with Sophie, I can’t take the risk.
