Whispers (Argent Springs) (9 page)

A warm smile grew in her heart and blossomed on
her lips. “I think I will.”

“Take a sandwich with you. This area is full of
beauty, and you might be gone a while.”

One little niggling fear of doubt kept her in her
chair. “Rick said there could be bears or mountain lions up there. Is that
true?”

Annabelle rolled her eyes. “That man is certainly
the worrying kind. Yes, once or twice they’ve been spotted, but it’s very rare.
Many people go up there all the time with no trouble. If you were doing any
sort of dangerous hiking or going off the beaten path, then I might be more
concerned, but you’re not.”

“I won’t do anything stupid.” Despite what Rick
seemed to think, she did have some intelligence.

“Of course you won’t.” Annabelle patted her hand
and then nodded toward the doorway. “Get going.”

This time when she ventured out, she told
Annabelle exactly where she was headed and what time she intended to return.
She climbed into her vehicle, firing it up for the first time in days, which
seemed really odd. Everything here was close, so driving had become pointless.

As she headed out of town, her gaze snagged on a
white brick building with Rick’s Auto Repair painted on the side. The thought
of starting fresh in her new life urged her to stop. It seemed right to try to
settle the one rough spot she’d been dealing with since she’d arrived in Argent
Springs.

Erin pulled to the side of the road in front of
the building and exited her car. As she entered the open bay, the scent of
grease and gasoline tickled her senses. Her friends had always thought she was
weird, but a man who could take a few tools and put together an engine that
would take her across country fascinated her. It might not be as glamorous as a
lawyer or doctor, but no one could deny a mechanic held a vast amount of power.
Any man who could take care of his own things was attractive, indeed.

She recognized one of the latest country hits
coming from the small radio, the static buzzing accompanying it almost as loud
as the music. Rick had his back to her, bent over the engine of a snow machine
that had been raised on a platform.

He wore a tight gray t-shirt and jeans, the day
still warm enough to not wear a jacket. She wished she could say nothing about
him appealed to her, but that simply wasn’t true.

For a moment, she didn’t make her presence known.
Instead, she watched the way the muscles in his back bunched and stretched as
he leaned closer to the engine. He haphazardly felt along the work bench next
to him until his hand came into contact with a wrench. It disappeared from view
as he used it, and she enjoyed watching his well-defined triceps move with his
efforts.

Something made a clanging noise, and he
straightened as he let out a string of curse words.

Maybe now wasn’t the best time to approach him. It
seemed all they did was irritate each other, and he already struggled with his
work. She could make peace with him later.

She took a step back, and then suddenly, his dark
eyes pinned her.

“Did you need something?”

Immediately, she felt the sting of his words and
regretted her decision to apologize. “I just…never mind.”

She turned and headed for her car. Maybe they
never would be friends. Maybe he’d always distrust her and dislike her
regardless of her actions.

“Wait,” he called as she opened her car door.
“Tell me what you need. Is Annabelle okay?”

She forced her emotions back into the shadows and
faced him square on. “Annabelle’s fine, and I don’t need anything.” Damn it.
Why did everything have to be so awkward with him?

He cocked a dark brow, his fingers covered in
grease, his hair looking like he’d just gotten out of bed. “You must have
stopped by for some reason.”

She released a heavy sigh, knowing she might as
well get it over with. “I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I shouldn’t have
made everyone worry.”

“Annabelle was the one worried, not me.”

Could he be more of a jerk? She gritted her teeth
long enough to let her irritation settle. She didn’t want to cause her aunt any
more angst, and as much as she disliked Rick, she didn’t want to throw sand in
his sandbox. “Fine. I’m sorry I worried Annabelle and that you had to come find
me.”

He studied her, his eyes narrowing as though he
didn’t trust what she had to say.

She waited another moment and then opened her car
door. She could only hope they’d see each other as little as possible during
her stay.

“Thank you.”

She was already halfway to sitting in her seat
when he spoke, and her momentum carried her the rest of the way. She’d have to
climb back out of her car if she wanted to continue the conversation. Which she
didn’t, but somehow felt obligated to do.

She stood and faced him, her little red Focus a
nice barrier between them. “I mean it. I’m sorry for worrying Aunt Annabelle
and for causing you grief. I’ll try not to do it again.”

He stepped off the curb and walked around to her
side of the car. Each step he took toward her sent her blood racing at a faster
pace. He stopped inches from her.

“It’s not just you.” He tilted his head in apology.
“I’ve been less than welcoming, and I’m lucky Annabelle hasn’t put a boot in my
ass.”

“She wouldn’t do that.”

“You’re right. She’s too much of a lady.” He
studied her for a moment, the sunlight delving into his eyes, showcasing golden
flecks that she hadn’t noticed before. “How about a truce?”

Something in her warmed. “I would be agreeable to
that.” She stuck out her hand as a show of sincerity.

He wrapped his warm fingers around her hand and
shook it. A hint of a smile curved his lips as he released her. It grew wider
as he glanced at her hand and took it back into his own. “Shit. I forgot I had
grease all over me. Now, you’re dirty, too.”

She looked down to where he cradled her hand in
his large palm. She seemed so small and delicate against his work-roughened
fingers. “It’s okay.”

“Come back inside. I have some cleaner.” He didn’t
release her hand until they stood in front of a smudged utility sink. “That
soap should clean you off.”

“Okay.” She gave him a tentative smile. Her
fingers—make that her whole body still tingled from his touch. She awkwardly
washed off the grease while he watched, and then she looked to him for a towel.

“Uh…” He glanced around his shop. “I just usually
use the underside of my shirt.”

Without waiting for a response from her, he lifted
his shirt, drying first one and then her other hand. As he finished her second
hand, her knuckles grazed the bare skin of his warm stomach. The innocent, yet
intimate contact made her jerk in reaction.

She took a step back, feeling off balance. “Thanks.
I should probably go now.”

He nodded, his dark eyes regarding her with an
unreadable expression.

She gave a quick half-wave. “I guess I’ll see you
later.”

“Where are you headed?” He nodded to her car
parked outside.

“I thought I’d take a short drive up in the hills.
I’ve let Annabelle know where I’m going, and I’ll be back this afternoon.”

“Don’t try to hike to the cross by yourself.”

Irritation scratched at her again. Truce or not,
he was treating her like a child. “I wasn’t planning on it. I’m just shooting
photos. No big deal.”

“Be back by three. There’s a storm coming in
tonight.”

Annabelle hadn’t said anything about an
approaching storm, but she’d heed his warning. “I’ll be fine.”

“I mean it.”

It hadn’t even been five minutes, and he was
already getting on her nerves again. “See you later,” she said without giving
him any further opportunity to try and control her life. She reminded herself
that his worrying probably came from losing his family, but it didn’t help much
with easing her irritation.

It took her a short amount of time to drive
through the town and reach the bottom of the mountain. Argent Springs covered
the bottom of a bowl comprised of glorious mountains surrounding it on all sides.
As her little car started up the steep incline, the motor bore down to give it more
power. She pushed harder on the accelerator to help it along. Soon, numerous
pines swallowed the road, and she could no longer see the tiny town behind her.

She slowed and lowered her windows, allowing the
cool mountain scents of pine and earth to fill the interior of her car and her
lungs. She had known visiting Aunt Annabelle would be a fun and enlightening
experience, but she’d had no idea the town itself and the mountains surrounding
it would feel like such a haven.

The narrow dirt road twisted and turned, and she took
care to avoid the large rocks that occasionally stood in her way. She hadn’t
intended to go too far up the mountain, but the pristine scenery was so
amazing, and there really wasn’t anyplace to pull over or turn around.

She rounded a bend and finally came across an area
that had been cleared wide enough to allow vehicles to turn around. A white SUV
had been parked along the side, the bottom of its back window littered with
various surfing stickers. A brown sign highlighting the trailhead leading to
the locally famous cross had been set back off the road. She had no idea how
much farther she’d be able to travel up the hillside, and this seemed like a
good place to stop her car.

She’d had no intention of violating Rick’s
orders,
but the trailhead was the first place she’d come across where she could stop
and get out. She grabbed her camera out of her bag and exited the vehicle,
locking the door behind her. She’d be fine if she stayed somewhat close to her
car. Obviously others hiked in the area, so she wouldn’t be all alone.

Cool mountain air rushed beneath her jacket, and she
took a moment to zip it up. The silence of the place overwhelmed her. She
paused and closed her eyes, allowing her hearing to become the dominant sense.

Birds chirped in the trees above her, and the
breeze occasionally made secretive noises. Other than that, tranquility ruled
the air.

Stately aspens with their yellowing leaves along
with fragrant pines provided her with a place to think, a place to heal. She
was surprised that Annabelle would leave this quaint town to begin with, but
then again, she knew well the awkwardness and loneliness which accompanied an
outcast. Apparently it had taken time for Annabelle to feel like she could come
home once again. Maybe at some point, Erin would be able to go back to her
family and feel like she belonged.

A sarcastic chuckle escaped her. Who was she
kidding? She would never belong in that world. Argent Springs was her kind of
town. Annabelle, Livia and Piper were her kind of people. If she could figure
out a way to make a living here, she knew Annabelle wouldn’t be opposed to her
staying. Maybe she could make enough by providing massages to the skiers in the
winter and tourists in the summer if she could find somewhere to set up shop.
The more she thought about it, the more the idea excited her.

If only Rick wasn’t so underfoot. He was the thorn
in an otherwise perfect rose.

Her feet crunched on fallen twigs and leaves as
she moved deeper into the forest. But not too deep. Despite the temptation to
irritate Rick, she intended to remain responsible.

Erin walked for a while following the path marked
by others, inhaling bigger breaths to compensate for the thin air.
Occasionally, she stopped to shoot a picture of a wicked looking pine or an
amazing outcropping of rock. Every now and then, she’d hear a dog howl, and she
guessed it probably belonged to the owners of the white SUV parked near her.

When she came across a large flat stone, she
stopped and opened her backpack pulling out her lunch. She was grateful
Annabelle had suggested bringing a sandwich along because that gave her a longer
amount of time to stay in the beautiful setting.

She nearly inhaled her ham sandwich, not realizing
she’d grown so hungry. For whatever reason everything tasted better when she
ate outside. Perhaps the fresh air somehow enhanced the flavor. She slugged
down half her water bottle and then tossed that along with her apple back
inside her backpack for later.

She kept an even pace as she walked higher and
deeper into the woods. She kept telling herself she’d turn back after five more
minutes, but the whole experience of being alone in the fresh mountain air
compelled her to stay just a bit longer. She was about to turn back when she
spied a hulking gray object between the trees ahead of her.

“Oh my god,” she whispered. Had she made it all
the way to the cross? She really hadn’t been walking that long. Her feet moved
a little faster in an effort to get a better view.

She slowed and then stopped as she reached the
circular clearing. In the middle, stood a nine-foot tall cross. Ornate details
had been carved into the stone, making it seem as though a tangle of barbed
vines twisted around it. Was that to signify the crown of thorns that had
supposedly been placed on Jesus’s head? Or maybe to show the trials a person
must face before he could be admitted to heaven?

Erin walked forward. The reverent hush that
occupied the place seemed almost tangible. She placed her fingers on the cold,
hard stone, tracing the winding vine. A shiver raced over her.

The sculptor must have come up here every day for
months, maybe even longer to complete it in such detail. What had life done to
him that he would be compelled to do such a thing? Had he lost a love? Or had
he been trying to find himself like Erin?

Maybe he was just crazy. Definitely talented
though.

She pulled out her camera and snapped a bunch of
pictures from different angles, taking the time to get a few close ones that
really showcased the detail of the cross. When she was satisfied, she took a
step back and appreciated its beauty one last time.

An eerie howl made the hairs on her arms stiffen.

That wasn’t a dog barking like she’d thought
earlier. It couldn’t be.

Were there
wolves
up here? Rick had
mentioned bears and mountain lions the other day, but not wolves. And Annabelle
had said she’d be safe, but that didn’t reassure her now.

She took stock of what she had for protection if
she needed it. Nothing but a stupid camera and a half-empty water bottle.

She cursed as she turned toward the path, her feet
moving in rapid succession.

The howl came again, and she reassured herself
that it wasn’t in close proximity to her. She’d be fine.

Then she began to run. Not long after she did, soft
snowflakes started to fall, giving her another reason to head out. Her path was
downhill which made it easier to inhale enough oxygen, and she alternated her
gaze between the rocky path beneath her feet and what lie ahead of her. She
stumbled once on the uneven ground, sending a swift pain shooting through her
ankle, but the adrenaline racing through her veins quickly expelled the
feeling.

By the time she reached her car, her lungs burned.
Still, she let out a laugh, feeling exhilarated. She’d made it to the cross and
back all on her own.
Take that, Rick.

“Woo!” she said to the vast wilderness. She
brushed off the fluffy snowflakes before she climbed into her car and started
it. A twinge shot through her ankle as she pushed on the brake before putting
the car into gear. She ignored the feeling as she headed back down the mountain
toward Aunt Annabelle’s house.