Alexander Ranch (2 page)

Chapter 2

I think I dreamed. Or else I was fading in and out of consciousness. I could hear footsteps rushing towards me in the sand. I remember being lifted and then set down gently in warm water. Was the man going to drown me in the river? I probably should protest, but the water was so warm and soothing. Still, I should fight, but my limbs would not move.

Gentle hands moved over me and took off my clothes. Was I being taken advantage of? There were hands running through my hair and warm water rippling over me but nothing that felt inappropriate. Maybe I was dead. Whatever was happening to me now felt good and safe. Then my mind drifted away and there was nothing, not even a thought.

I woke slowly from a deep fog only to find that I’d been captured. I opened my eyes to see a man, who
had probably fallen asleep while guarding me, bundled up right next to me. I came fully awake with a start and Jerked upright without thinking. The moment I moved his eyes flew open.

“Don’t be afraid
,” he said in a calm, cool voice. He went on talking in a rush, “I found you on the beach and it looks like someone took a shot at you. I won’t hurt you. My name is Jordan and you are in my cabin. You’re safe.”

I had been making a gallant yet feeble attempt to s
truggle out of the confining blankets I’d been wrapped in like a burrito. But, when he began to speak I froze. Exhausted from the little effort at escape I had been able to make, I now collapsed back down on the pallet. My eyes, however, remained fixed and unblinking in terror on this stranger. I did not speak, just watched him in muddled fear and confusion trying to make sense of what was happening. The one thing I was sure of was, this wasn’t one of the men who’d been after me. What had he said? Something about finding me on the beach? He continued to talk as if he were trying to sooth and reassure some frightened animal that might run or lash out at any moment. Then I realized I must resemble just that.

“You have no idea how relieved I am to see you
awake. I’ve been sitting here scared out of my mind and not knowing what to do to help you,” he went on babbling, as if he didn’t know what else to do. I opened my senses, belatedly, and realized he was indeed afraid. Though I doubted he was afraid
of
me, he did seem rather afraid of something. Afraid of dealing with me perhaps? I probed cautiously for a few more moments and only sensed sincere concern and fear. He was feeling fear
for
me I realized in surprise. As if my body had gotten a magic signal to turn off the adrenalin my eyes got heavy and I could only stare at him with groggy weariness.

“Wait. Don’t go back to sleep just yet
,” he entreated, reaching out to me and then hastily snatching his hand back, as if thinking better than to touch me. Did he have gloves on? How strange. “I was able to get you to take a little water, but I have some broth in the kitchen. It’s chicken broth. I’m not sure I should give you anything solid, but I think you should at least try the broth.”

My
eyes became more alert at the mention of food. I was a bit hungry but didn’t feel I could chew anything. Chewing would take too much energy.

He continued talking
, “I’m going to get up now and go get the broth, ok?”

I didn’t remember nodding or responding in any way but, a
fter a moment, he got up slowly and walked in the direction I assumed was the kitchen. I watched him disappear around a wall and then my eyes closed. I tensed and my eyes opened when I heard his footsteps coming towards me again. I must have fallen back asleep.

“Here
, I’ll help you sit up a bit. Just take a couple of sips,” he encouraged. I didn’t protest when he gently pulled me up and put the mug to my lips. I took a few cautious sips and then closed my eyes and let my head drop back. Holding my head up to sip was exhausting in itself. I was breathing hard as if I’d just sprinted down a track. He patiently coaxed me into taking a couple more sips as I watched him through heavy, guarded eyes. Belatedly I wondered if I should trust him enough to take food from him. What if it was drugged? He gently lowered me back down and we stared at each other until my eyes finally closed and I was asleep again.

I dreamed again. This time I was running and people were chasing me. Then, a strange voice was there telling me I was safe and everything was fine. I didn’t know who the strange voice belonged to but, for some reason, I trusted it. Each time the scary dreams came I ran. And each time the voice said I was safe
. I believed the comforting voice and drifted back to peaceful sleep. Sometimes I drifted along a river or sometimes I didn’t dream at all. For what seemed like endless amounts of time, I would sleep until the bad men came after me again.

I began to run but I couldn’t get away. The bad men were gaining on me and would soon have me. My eyes flew open in a panic and I cried out as I saw the man lying next to me. He had his hand on my shoulder gently shaking me.

“You’re ok,” he said, snatching back his hand, “You’re safe.” Slowly my eyes closed again and I was asleep. Then someone was touching my brow. It was a gentle caress but strange, fingers but not fingers. My eyes fluttered open again and I went from being confused to remembering. The man was still there. He’d removed his hands from my face and I noticed he had on latex gloves. Then I remembered seeing them before. What was that all about? I jerked, trying to sit up and cried out as pain shot through me. Feebly, I fell back onto the pallet.

“It’s ok,
” The man crooned reaching out again to touch me. Again, he seemed to think better of it and let his hand drop down in front of him. He was sitting up on an elbow angled towards me. “You’re safe. I won’t hurt you.”

I squeezed my eyes shut for a long moment. This man had not harmed me in – how long had I been here? Well, regardless he’d had ample time if he’d meant to. I let out an involuntary moan and rolled to my side as the persistent pain in my side ate at me. When I’d tried to sit up I’d felt a
sharp pull and a blazing pain in my side. I could see the panicked look in the man’s eyes as he saw my pained face and heard my choppy breathing. I was also starting to panic myself. The pain was intense. I tried to take long deep breaths. Deep breaths, however, caused pain so I settled on slow, shallow breaths and focused on managing the pain with mind over matter. I forced my body to relax. Once the pain was slightly bearable, I cautiously rolled to face him. And not knowing what to say, I just looked at him for a long moment. I could do nothing but stare into his clear liquid green eyes.

“Why am I here?”
I asked. My voice trembled and rasped but, I was finally able to speak. I sounded weak and terrified even to my own ears.

His face was etched with concern and then his eyes widened and he blinked at my words.
“I found you on the beach. You collapsed right in front of me-”

“I know
,” I hissed, cutting him off impatiently. My whole body was beginning to flower with pain. My voice was a croaked whisper as I continued. I remembered what he’d said the first time he’d spoken to me. “You’re Jordan and you’ve brought me to your cabin. Why? Why haven’t you taken me to a hospital or something?”

He looked surprised
. For a moment he said nothing. Then words began to tumble from him so fast I had to concentrate to keep up. “Good, you were coherent. Well, because I am stranded here until morning without a car or phone. I’ve been here for a few days with my brother and his kids and I wanted to stay an extra day. My brother had to get back to work and my sister in law is supposed to meet me back here tomorrow, well, now it’s today. She should be here in a few hours. And, I left my cell phone in the car that my brother left with.”

He stopped talking abruptly as if realizing he was babbling. I
didn’t say anything, just looked at him trying to follow his torrent of words.

A
fter a long moment of silence, he looked at his watch and started talking again in a calm voice. Clearly he’d gotten his thoughts together. “It’s 3am now. If my sister in law, Daisy, is her usual self, she’ll be trying to quietly sneak in here at about 6. So if you can hang in there until then, we can both be rescued.”

He
finished that last bit with what appeared to be an attempt at a reassuring smile. If I’d been in less pain I might have laughed but, as it was, I just stared at him. For some strange reason, watching this man’s obvious discomfort made me feel a little more relaxed. I felt unexplainably less threatened and safer for some reason. Probably because if he were intending to kill me he wouldn’t be feeling uncomfortable about taking care of me or being stranded with me. No, if he wanted to kill me I’d just be dead. I suppose his lack of malice relaxed me because it reassured me I had nothing to fear from him.

He must have sensed me calming because he seemed to visibly relax and continued rambling
.

“
My other sister – in – law, Grace, is a doctor. A very good one. She will be able to help you. From what I can tell you didn’t have any broken bones or any major lumps on the head. I’ve been monitoring you for a concussion anyway though.”

This statement ma
de me want to take inventory. I gingerly reached up to probe my head but stopped as pain shot through my shoulder. I rested my hands along my sides and felt the top of what felt like sweat pants. Confused, my fingers began probing the fabric. I let out a little cry of dismay realizing I was indeed wearing some sort of sweats. I could feel them up and down my legs. But, I hadn’t been wearing sweats. I lifted the blankets and peaked inside.

“These are not my clothes!”
I squeaked. My voice was still low and weak yet the panic was clear. “Where are my clothes? Who-…Who took my clothes?”

“Relax
,” he said softly. He winced, and I could see alarm in his face, though, he appeared to be trying to calm me while trying to keep his own panic under control. He had a doomed look on his face, his voice remained calm and reassuring. “You’re clothes are in the dryer. They were very dirty and soaked, and you were alarmingly cold. So, we got you some new dry clothes to help warm you up.”

A mix of emotions
went through me, embarrassment, confusion, distrust. Definitely lots of embarrassment.

“Who is we?” I asked suspiciously.

“Well, I guess I meant me and you. Though, I was the one who got the clothes for you,” he confessed in a tight voice full of discomfort.

I
closed my eyes again, feeling tears begin to gather in the corners and threaten to spill over. I awkwardly turned away and focused on calming my breathing. It had started to hitch as the silent tears threatened. This was just too much. I couldn’t bear to see him or him to see me. Since I could not run or crawl under a rock in shame, my only defense was to close my eyes. I could not bear to look at him. It was as if all of the events of the day, and all of the pent up emotions and fear, were crashing in upon me. I was safe now. I don’t know how I knew, but I knew I was safe with this strange man. He’d done nothing but try to help me. And, if I wasn’t careful I would be blubbering all over him like some half crazed, hysterical female. My emotions were overwhelming and all over the place. What the hell was going on? My mind could not process all that had taken place since I’d left my house to this moment. Something that started out so pleasant and wonderful had turned into a nightmare. The only thing I wanted to do now was to take the comfort this perfect stranger could offer and dump the burden of my jumbled and exhausted emotions at his feet for him to deal with.

However
, I was sure from the obvious discomfort and wariness I’d seen in him, that wasn’t a bright idea. I closed my eyes and practiced meditative breathing. I was bruised and battered. I wasn’t quite sure where I was. Every inch of me hurt, and I was stranded in a cabin with a man who seemed as terrified of me as I was of the situation. And, to top it all off, I was wearing someone else’s clothes. It was too much. For once I was thankful for exhaustion pulling me back into the peace of sleep.

Chapter 3

I woke once more in the night. I must have woke with a start which must have startled – what was his name? Jordan? He jolted bolt upright. He was just about to speak but I cut him off.

"They're
here. Please don't let them in!"  My eyes were wide and I could hear my own voice was full of panic.

"Who?"

"The men who-," I broke off sharply and looked at him with renewed suspicion. Maybe these men where who he was waiting for. Maybe the whole story he gave me earlier about his sister-in-law and brother was all a lie. I was in a panic. The rational part of my mind told me panic would get me nowhere. I needed to think. I forced myself to calm and opened my senses. He just seemed confused. I took a deep calming breath, which hurt my chest, and continued, "The men who were chasing me. Please, don't let them kill me."

He
stared at me for a moment in confusion, then cocked his head and appeared to hear something. He gave me a confused, assessing look before glancing towards the door and then back at me. He was clearly on alert now and turned his full attention towards the door. I didn’t hear anything, but he was concentrating as if listening very carefully.

I turned toward the door
too now as I picked up the sound of approaching feet. How had he heard them before I did? I'd have to ponder that later. He turned back to me.