Surrender to Fate (Fate's Path Part One: A New Adult Romance Series) (2 page)

While the boys ran the winding maze of trails wrapped throughout the pines, Sarah and Will worked to clear the fallen branches that threatened to crush their childhood fort. The fort had started as a simple makeshift shelter of pine boughs and saplings. But it grew into a fairly substantial structure, bigger and more complex with each passing year. Construction on the fort had slowed as they got older, but Sarah wouldn’t let the fort go to complete ruin. It was a symbol of their childhood, their innocence, and held too many memories to become dilapidated. As she worked, she stole glances at Will, who seemed to know just when to look up to lock eyes with her. They smiled shyly at each other, but held the gaze a little longer each time.

“I thought I’d go to the creek to collect some rocks for the garden,” Sarah announced as Tommy and Matty climbed the ladder to inspect the roof of the fort.

Dropping the branches he had been holding, Will said, “I’ll come with you.”

“Well, you don’t have to. You probably should stay here and help the boys,” she said, nodding to Tommy, who had just nicked his finger with his pocket knife. “I’ll be right back.”

“You’ll need help carrying the rocks back,” Will protested.

“I’ll put them in my knapsack. It won’t take me long.” Even as Sarah heard herself declining Will’s help, she wondered why she hadn’t agreed to his coming along. She only ever daydreamed about spending time alone with him. But perhaps it was best if he stayed with the boys to avoid the trouble that surely would ensue without him. She knew Tommy would think of something dangerous to do without his brother’s common sense to stop him.

“Okay,” Will conceded hesitantly “But hurry back, Sarah. Straight to the creek, get your rocks, and straight back,” he said as he nodded his head in the direction of the creek and back to the pines. He raised his eyebrows to ensure she understood.

Her stomach flipped again as she realized his obvious concern for her. “Yes, Will, don’t worry.” She smiled at him.

She took a drink from the canteen, grabbed her bag, started up the hill. “Matty, be good. I’ll be back in a minute.” She looked again at Will, who seemed hesitant about her leaving the clearing, but he said nothing and simply nodded, and she went on.

Once she climbed the hill to the top of the ridge, she stopped to admire the view. This was a sight she would never grow tired of. The majestic mountains in the distance steeped in various hues of blue, and the endless aspen forests unfurled before her. As much as she loved the pines, her favorite tree was the aspen with its beautiful white bark, distinctive black knot holes, and of course, their splendid autumn display of pure gold. Sarah couldn’t help running her hands along the soft, almost powdery bark as she hiked the winding trail to the creek.

By this time in the summer, King’s Creek had slowed to a meandering, lazy flow of cold mountain snow melt and was only a few feet across at its widest point. During the run-off season, and depending on the winter’s snowfall, King’s Creek could be filled with muddy, rushing torrents that far exceeded the banks’ capacity. But when spring gave way to summer, King’s Creek was filled with brook trout who were eager for a worm, and the creek would be calm enough to traverse the slippery rocks in bare feet. She loved King’s Creek. She traced some of her earliest memories of idle summer days to its banks when her father showed her how to throw her line in the water and her mother set up the blanket and picnic lunch they had packed.

By far, the best spot on King’s Creek was Coon’s Cove. The creek flowed into a natural pool dammed by beavers. A huge willow tree hung over the pool, dipping in a few branches for a cooling swim. This was the best spot to catch little Brookies and to wade and swim.

Just up from the cove, an enormous pine tree had long ago fallen across the banks. They used this as a bridge from one side of the creek to the other. The bark had fallen off and all that was left was the smooth gray, weathered wood. While they sat together on the log, dangling their feet toward the water, her dad had showed her the secret of letting her fishing line drift with the current into the pool and into the shade of the willow tree where the little trout rested. Sarah smiled as she ambled across the bridge. When she was little, the log seemed so far above the creek that if she were to fall, she surely wouldn’t survive. But in reality, it was no more than two feet above the water. Sarah couldn’t have dreamed a more perfect place than King’s Creek.

She gingerly walked along the bank of the creek, inspecting the shallow rocks through the trickling water. It didn’t seem to matter where she looked, a swarm of baby minnows drifted back and forth with the current or a water skipper darted across the water’s surface. When the angle of the sun was just right, Sarah saw flecks of gold resting on the sand. It was easy to get lost in her thoughts here. Especially as of late, it was easy to get lost in thoughts of Will.

She first noticed something different about the way she felt about Will the day she walked to his house to deliver a sack of flour to Catherine. He mustn’t have noticed her approaching. He was focused on sawing a large log that was propped across the saw horses. Holding the log steady with his left hand, his strong arm quickly moved the handsaw through the wood. With each movement, his hair swayed against his forehead, keeping up with his perfect rhythm. When the log gave way and fell to the ground, he straightened to catch his breath and ran his hand through his hair, revealing those piercing blue eyes. Sarah was mesmerized. But then he caught sight of her and nothing compared to the smile he flashed, as if he had caught his first ray of sunshine that day. And suddenly Sarah was the one out of breath.

She poked a stick into the creek’s edge to loosen some promising stones. She thought of all the countless times she and Will had been together as small children, laughing and running through the mountain meadows. How one time he had searched through the night with her until they found her cat, Lulu, and the other time he carried her home on his back after she tripped and twisted her ankle so badly that she couldn’t walk for a week. Will just had a way about him. It wasn’t just the physical changes that Sarah found so attractive. He had strength, yet gentleness. He was tolerant, yet steadfast in his beliefs. And when he looked at her, she believed he would give everything to her if she asked.

Refocusing on her task, she decided on six rocks that would be a good start for lining the rows in the garden. Some were smooth and round, others jagged and sparkling with gold; each had a unique characteristic that made it special. She knew she was particular about certain things. She was careful and thoughtful in her selections, and she chose each for a reason. After all, these rocks were from King’s Creek, and that alone was reason to be appreciative rather than hasty. She knelt down to place the rocks in her knapsack and squinted up at the sun. She had completely lost track of time. Had she been here thirty minutes, or maybe even an hour? The midday sun was warm on her face and she wished she had brought the canteen with her. A quick cooling wade in the cove would be just what she needed before heading back to the pines.

While rolling up her pant legs, she found herself wishing, for once, that she was wearing a dress. In fact, wading in creeks might be the only reason to wear a dress. They certainly weren’t good for anything else. Once her dungarees were rolled as high as she could get them, she slowly tip-toed into the water. The chilling bite of the cold was only temporary as she continued in deeper and deeper. Her overalls began to get heavy, and her feet slightly sank into the soft mud, making it difficult to take each step. She was waist deep when she giggled and asked herself out loud, “Why did I even roll my pants to begin with?” And that was when she heard a twig snap behind the big willow tree.

Sarah froze midstep. Did she really hear that, or just imagine it? She was talking when it happened, so she couldn’t be certain she really heard something. She stared at the willow tree, just waiting, and hoping for confirmation that her imagination was playing tricks on her.

But her eyes flew open in disbelief as her question was answered. The low-hanging willow tree branches began to thrash back and forth, snapping and cracking. Sarah could not breathe. Crashing through the brush, and now staring at her, was a monstrous brown bear. The bear seemed as surprised as Sarah to be sharing the cove. More twig snaps made them break eye contact and look toward the noise. Clumsily tromping through the thicket, a bear cub bumbled over to his mother’s side. The baby didn’t seem to notice Sarah, or if he did, he didn’t much care. He stuck his muzzle in the cool water and snorted and sneezed after he sucked water in through his nose. He backed up slightly and came to attention only when his mother grumbled at him. She stared fiercely once again at Sarah.

Sarah had never seen a bear before, let alone been face to face less than ten feet away. She knew bears lived in these mountains, and she had heard old stories of bears killing chickens or breaking into a shed where a deer carcass hung. But bear sightings were rare, and, for the most part, bears weren’t a concern to most folks. Despite her lack of concern for bears prior to this moment, Sarah knew this was a terrible situation. A lone bear was bad, but a mother bear with her cub spelled disaster for the misfortunate soul who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And right now, that was Sarah.

“Okay, Sarah,” she said to herself, “don’t panic. Think.” She drew in a deep breath and scanned the cove. She was smack dab in the middle of the pool, the shore behind her at least fifteen feet away. She racked her memory. Was she supposed to freeze, run, or scream and wave her arms crazily? Turning and trying to run would not only be impossible because of her weighted legs and sinking feet, but it would probably be the biggest mistake she could make. Whether on land or in water, she was no match for a bear if it came after her. Her best chance would be not to run, necessarily, but not to allow the bear to attack her without putting up a fight. “Slow, slow, slow,” she whispered to herself as she lifted her leg from the sand and took one step back.

The mother bear was furious at Sarah’s decision. She opened her mouth wide and loosed a horrific growl as she lifted her head high in the air.

Fear dug its nails into Sarah as she noticed how wide the bear’s mouth opened and the gleam of the sharp white teeth revealed by the snarling lips.

The bear stared back at Sarah and snorted and stomped her front feet at the water’s edge, snapping willow branches as easily as if they were pieces of straw.

Sarah couldn’t move. Panic gripped her throat and threatened to squeeze until she could no longer breathe. Just then, Will’s face flashed in her mind and she heard his words from earlier: “Straight to the creek, get your rocks, and straight back.” What if that was the last time she would ever see him?

As tears began to well in her eyes, a whizzing sound and brush of air flew just past her cheek. In nearly the same moment, the mother bear’s ferociousness buckled and she yelped as a rock hit her squarely in the eye. Sarah spun around to face the shore behind her. There he was. Will. Down on one knee with his sling shot cocked and one eye steadily focused on the bear.

“Get down, Sarah!” he screamed as another rock pelted the mother in the face. Without even thinking, Sarah gulped a big breath of air and sunk into the darkness of the water. She turned toward the shore and with a few strokes underwater could finally feel herself climbing out and onto the muddy bank. Brushing her hair from her eyes, she turned just in time to see the mother bear backtracking around the willow tree and through the brush beyond it. In a few seconds, all was silent except for the gurgling creek and the echoing knock of a woodpecker deep in the forest.

Sarah stood to run toward Will, but her feet refused to move. Will was running at full speed toward her. Their eyes met and everything was still and quiet until he finally reached her. She fell into his arms and began sobbing uncontrollably on his shoulder. “Will, you...you saved me! How did you know?” Sarah was crying so hard that she could hardly breathe; fear wasn’t ready to release its hold.

“Shhh. It’s okay now, Sarah. Shhh. I’m here, nothing will hurt you now.” Will’s words were so strong and sure, yet Sarah could detect a slight quiver in his voice. She buried her face in his neck and held on to him until she could feel herself calm and her shaking subside. He kept his arms wrapped around her until she gradually stopped crying. Although the ordeal was over, he seemed in no hurry to let her go. He had never held her this way before. His arms around her kindled a rush of inexplicable emotions. The feeling of Will protecting her was unlike anything she expected.

Sarah eventually forced herself to leave the comfort of William’s shoulder and looked into his eyes. “Will, I’m so sorry. I…I didn’t listen to you and I should have. I’m so sorry, I don’t know what to say.” Sarah’s words trailed off and she could no longer look him in the eye.

“Sarah, look at me.” Will placed his hand under her chin to force her gaze back to his. His blue eyes met hers with an intensity that Sarah didn’t recognize. She knew his eyes so well, but there was something different now that she could not ignore.

“All I know right now is that you are okay, and that’s all the matters.” He stopped, but began again. “I need to tell you something.” Will looked down and shifted nervously from one foot to the other. When he looked back at her, the same intense look flashed in his eyes, penetrating straight to her soul. “When I got to the creek and saw you, and saw the bear, I’ve never felt so,” he paused and took a deep breath. “I’ve never felt like this before. Sarah, there is something about you, something that I can’t get out of my mind. You’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and when I thought of that bear hurting you, I realized that if anything ever happened to you, I don’t know what I would do.”

Sarah’s head was spinning. From the intense fear and the adrenaline that accompanied escaping the bear, to these inexplicable emotions at Will’s words. Was all of this a dream?

Even Will seemed surprised by his courage. Now that he had begun to tell Sarah how he felt, he showed no signs of turning back. “I know that we’re still young. But, but, I want you to know that someday, I’ll be able to take care of you. And all I want to do is make you happy. I just need to know. Do you feel the same about me?” Will’s expression changed from resolute to uncertainty so quickly that Sarah’s heart immediately went out to him. The mere thought of anything, especially of her doing, hurting him was unbearable.

She reached up and touched the side of his face until once again he was looking in her eyes. “Will, when I was standing in the cove with the bear, I had never been so scared. But then I thought about you, and I realized that I was even more afraid of...not seeing you again. You have always taken care of me, and Matty and Tommy. When I’m with you, I know I’m safe. No one makes me feel the way you do.” Sarah’s eyed filled with tears, and a smile crossed her lips. “So, yes Will, I feel the same.”