Till There Was You (4 page)

“So, you’re going to walk all that way?” There was no point pretending she didn’t know where he lived. It was a small town; everyone knew where everybody lived.

“That’s the plan,” he said, giving her a sidelong glance as she fell into step beside him, almost running to keep up.

“I can drive you.”

“No thanks.” He lengthened his stride, leaving her behind. She let out a huff of indignation. What was wrong with this guy? Would he seriously rather walk than accept a lift from someone he helped out?

“Ridiculous,” she muttered, trekking back to her truck and getting inside. The truck coughed to life and Lily hit the gas, quickly coming up beside him and slowing down. “Get in.” It came out like an order, and Linc simply looked at her and raised his brow. “Please.” She changed her tone a little, remembering when her grandmother had told her she’d catch more flies with honey than vinegar. “Please, Linc. If you won’t let me buy you breakfast, at least let me drive you home. You seem like you’re in a hurry and I just want to say thank you.”

Stopping, he looked at her, then muttered something under his breath before moving over to the passenger side of the car. Lily struggled to keep the triumphant grin from taking over her lips.

“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” she said as he clipped his seatbelt in place and looked across at her.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“What?” she asked, slightly taken aback.

His eyes dropped down to her waist. “Your belt. You aren’t wearing it.”

“What? Oh,” she said, realizing he wanted her to put the safety belt on. It was something her brother was always on her about as well, and with a resigned sigh, she reached over and secured it in place. “Happy?”

Letting out his breath, he relaxed and settled back into his seat, his head resting against the window. “Yes.”

Putting the truck into gear, Lily headed for the only road leading toward the edge of town.

“You’re staying at Ruth’s place just out of town, aren’t you?” Lily asked, her voice low as he stared out at the pristine white landscape traveling past his window.

His only response was a small nod, which she found frustrating. She wanted to get to know Linc a little more after the way he helped her last night. As far as she could surmise, he lived alone and never socialized with anyone from town. Considering he seemed fairly young, she could only guess he was hiding from something, or perhaps someone, from his past. For Lily, the mystery of this reclusive man was like crack to an addict. She felt a great need to know what had him pushing everyone away.

Lily watched him, sneaking glances when she wasn’t watching the slippery road. She liked what she saw, which just further added to the mystery. He was ruggedly handsome, with a full beard, only slightly scruffy unkempt brown hair, and deep, liquid brown eyes. And he was tall; a good two inches taller than her brother who came in at six-foot-one. She couldn’t see much under the bulky clothing they all wore, but she was sure he was fit and strong from the way he held himself, as well as how his chest felt when she’d tried to stop him earlier.

A short while later, Lily stopped at the gate to the Plowman residence. It was a beautiful log cabin set on a rather large plot of land. She’d been in there once before when her father was helping Ruth with a jammed up fireplace. Although she was only a kid at the time, she remembered it being picturesque and rustic, and wondered if it were much different now.

She turned to Linc to say something about the memory, but stopped, her mouth hanging open with the unspoken words as he got out of the truck and closed the door in one smooth motion. “Thanks for the ride,” he grunted as he pushed open the gate and walked through.

Not content to let things end so abruptly, she got out and caught up to him before he closed the gate.

“Linc, wait.”

“What?” he asked without looking at her.

“Is there anything you need? I mean, I owe you more than a lift home after last night.” Linc turned his broad back to her and sighed.

“I’m fine,” came his reply, in a tone that surprised her with its strange fragility. She hadn’t expected much more than a grunt.

This man needs somebody
, she thought. He’d spent so much time out there alone that he could do with a friend.

Deciding that was a role she could fill, Lily took a deep breath before continuing after him. “Listen, I’m going to help you dress that lip, and after that, you can go back to brooding out here all by yourself. Deal?”

“I don’t need your help,” Linc said, his normal flat tone returning as he shoved the gate closed, blocking Lily’s next step.

“Hey, what, wait!” Lily spluttered at his retreating back. She watched him open the door of the cabin and disappear inside, slamming it closed behind him. The sound echoed out through the quiet mountainside, and for a moment, she thought she heard a wolf howl in response.

Letting out a frustrated sigh in a burst of frosted breath, Lily gave her head a shake, kicked his gate, and swore to herself that it was game on—she was tired of seeing him in town, pretending she didn’t catch him watching her or that she didn’t do the same. She would take this challenge and win if it were the last thing she did. It might not be today, but come hell or high water, she was going to figure this guy out.

“S
hit,” Linc hissed as he slammed the door closed behind him. Leaving her standing out there was a crappy thing to do, but it was better this way. He didn’t deserve her kindness—or anyone else’s, for that matter.

Glancing out the window, he saw her kick at the gate in frustration. Good, he was glad she was mad at him. He was even gladder when she got back in her truck and started driving away. If he were honest with himself, had she knocked on his door, he probably would have let her in and accepted her kindness. And that would have made him an ass. She didn’t need to get mixed up in his life.

As he let the relief of her departure wash over him, the sound of heavy bounding feet warned him to brace himself. Moments after, two of those feet were firmly planted on his chest, pinning Linc to the door as big, wet husky licks chased his face from side to side.

“All right, boy. Down, down.”

The husky’s enthusiasm brought a smile to his face. They chased away any uncomfortable feelings he was having regarding the stubborn woman from town as he buried his fingers and face into the dog’s thick black mane.

Ruth Plowman had given Linc the husky as a puppy when he’d moved to Newsham. He shared a working history with her son back in the day, and knowing all he’d been through, Ruth had insisted the dog and change of scenery were exactly what he needed to get his life back on track. He didn’t believe it then, and he still didn’t believe it now. A year later, he was still a mess. It would probably be better for the dog if it ran off into the wild and quit relying on him. The poor thing still didn’t even have a name.

“Relax, boy.” He laughed as he moved through the cabin, the dog jumping and howling as it followed along beside him.

Obviously, the dog didn’t share the same sentiment as Linc and loved his master fiercely. He never failed to greet Linc when he returned and was always happy to wake him each morning by standing on his chest in a bizarre version of canine CPR, complete with mouth to mouth, whenever Linc tried to ignore him and go back to sleep.

Linc knew he was only trying to fool himself. He was more fond of the dog than he would admit, and truth be told, he would be further lost if the dog wasn’t there to stop him from fading away completely. Puppies were a lot of work, huskies even more so, and it was taking care of the dog that had him slowly regaining his physical health after the accident. The micro-care they needed had forced him to set a routine for himself, as well as the dog. As time had gone by, the dog had gotten bigger and more energetic, which forced Linc to take him on longer and longer walks, and finally, grueling runs through the mountainside along the back of the property.

“Okay, boy, let me get changed, then we can go,” Linc said as he slipped past the enthusiastic dog on his way to the bathroom to check out the damage to his lip.

Linc turned his face to get a closer look, and after a quick poke and prod, decided to let it heal naturally—no glue or stitches needed. That woman was just being unnecessarily worried, which, in his limited experience, was exactly how women always were.

Pushing his thoughts aside, he left the bathroom, petting the waiting dog’s head on his way toward his room to change.

He quickly stripped off last night’s dirty clothes to reveal a body that was fit and toned, but covered in scars forming a twisted maze across his body as a daily reminder of who he used to be. A scar on his lip would just be one more to add to his collection.

Once dressed in running gear, he made his way to the back door where his dog was waiting for him, howling in equal parts anticipation and impatience.

“Come on, boy. Let’s go.”

They made their way out into the frosted yard, where Linc took the opportunity to do some light stretches to loosen his back while his canine companion took care of his own business on the nearest tree.

Despite last night’s storm, the ground wasn’t too unforgiving and only slightly impeded his movement. The crunching of fresh snow preceded a bounding, energetic husky, easily carving through the snow with what could only be described as a broad smile.

“Show off,” Linc mumbled good-naturedly as his shoes sunk into a soft patch of snow.

A quick look around showed a field of white as far as he could see. It was one of the attractions for him here. Most of the time, no matter what he did the day before, nature would come in at night and wipe the slate clear, giving him a blank canvas in the morning.

Fully stretched and ready, Linc started at a light jog in no direction in particular with his dog keeping pace beside him.

He liked to run. It gave him time to zone out, to just focus on moving his body as he controlled his breathing in a steady rhythm. It was just him and man’s best friend forging their own path. Except, today was different in the most frustrating of ways. Images of a certain pretty lady kept breaking his concentration. After ten minutes, he came to a grinding halt, great clouds of cooling breath floating away on the breeze as he rubbed at the beard hiding even more scars. He needed to get a grip on his thoughts.

A low, deep growl from his dog snapped him back into focus, putting him instantly on guard just in time to see a wolf pad slowly into view. He knew there were wolves in the woods—he’d heard them howling at night—but he hadn’t run into any before now. It seemed like his luck had run out.

“Dog,” he whispered, trying to keep the husky’s attention on him. He had to back away slowly and make no sudden movements if he hoped to avoid a potentially dangerous situation.

The wolf continued to stalk forward, lips drawn back in a silent snarl. Hackles raised, the husky returned a growl, preparing to protect Linc if he had to.

“No, dog, come.” Steadily walking backwards, Linc tried in vain to get the husky to leave with him while cursing the gods above for putting another creature he cared about at risk as the wolf moved closer and closer.

Time seemed to slow for Linc while the two canines bared their fangs, preparing to clash. It seemed neither was about to back down.

“Goddammit, dog, come!”

The wolf lunged first, white teeth flashing as they tried to close around his dog’s throat. The husky leaped clear, and the wolf’s jaws snapped closed in a near miss. The husky took the opportunity to latch onto the wolf’s neck, shaking his head fiercely to drag the wolf away. Linc thought things just might work out for them, but the wolf’s thick fur allowed it to slip free of the dog’s jaws. Charging again, the wolf aimed lower, this time going for a leg.

As they circled each other, Linc looked around for some way to help, fear creeping up his spine while he watched the puppy he had raised in a fight for his life.

Spotting a rock, Linc raced to grab it to help his dog. Then the sickening sound of a bone cracking, mixed with a yelp of pain brought him spinning around. The wolf had latched onto the husky’s left front leg, bright red blood already staining the pure snow.

“You fucking mongrel,” Linc yelled, rushing over with the rock raised above his head. He slammed it into the side of the wolf’s head, making it let go of his dog before moving back and growling as it crouched low.

“Fuck off!” Growling himself, Linc threw the rock, hitting the wolf in the ribs, forcing it to retreat, snarling in pain.

Looking at the wolf, he knew it was defeated as it backed away, ears flat and fangs bared. After a few steps, it turned and raced away, becoming lost over the closest hill.

As soon as the wolf disappeared, Linc focused on his dog’s injuries. He dropped down to his knees in the snow as his husky hobbled on three legs, holding his wounded leg up, unable to put weight on the twisted limb.

“Shit, fuck, shit,” Linc hissed as he watched drops of red continue to stain the ground.

“Sorry, boy,” he whispered. “I’m so, so sorry.” Emotion stung the backs of his eyes as he scooped up his ailing pet, making sure not to jolt his injured leg as he turned and ran for home a lot faster than when he left.