Run to You (2 page)

He shrugged. “Of course. I imagine you'd do the same for me if I'd been the one who stepped in a wasps' nest.”

This was true. With a resigned sigh, she clenched her fists against the urge to claw at her flaming skin and started walking beside him, presumably in the direction of his car. Her misery was compounded by the wet clothes that clung to her with each step.

Ugh.

“You new in town or just visiting?” Ethan asked.

“Both.” She wiped a strand of wet hair from her face, grimacing when her fingers brushed against one of the wasp stings. “I've been here since April.”

Two months, spent mostly holed up inside the little cabin she'd rented or wandering the woods behind it. A habit she'd modify now to make sure she stayed far the hell away from Ethan Hunter's property. She couldn't wait to forget today ever happened.

“But you're not staying?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I'm not sure how long I'll be here.”

“You have family in town?”

She shook her head. After she'd left Brad, she'd stayed with her parents for a while, but it hadn't taken her long to realize she'd merely left one suffocating situation for another. So she'd packed up her SUV and hit the road, leaving her hometown of Charlotte behind. A quiet mountain town called Haven sounded perfect. And it had been, more or less. She'd needed a place to curl up and lick her wounds before she was ready to go back out and face the world, and she'd found it.

“Been to the spa yet?” Ethan asked.

She shook her head again, rubbing her hands up and down her arms, which only seemed to intensify the burning sensation in her skin.

“Definitely check it out. You've heard of the natural hot springs here, right?”

“Yes.” Not only did they sound fantastic, but they were rumored to have medicinal properties that calmed the soul. And hers could certainly use calming.

“How're you holding up?”

She paused and pressed a hand against her heart. It raced like a runaway train, making her light-headed. “You ask a lot of questions.”

“You seem kind of quiet, and I need to keep you talking to make sure you're okay.” He gave her an easy smile, but his eyes were sharp, watchful.

“I could use a cold shower and some Benadryl, but I'll be okay.” She bit her lip. “In fact, I'd really rather go straight home.”

“No way. I'd never forgive myself if I sent you home and you went into anaphylactic shock or something. There's a clinic on Weaver Street that'll get you right in. I've been there more times than I care to admit. The nurse practitioner who works there is an old friend of my grandmother's. You'll be in good hands.”

They came out into a large grass yard behind a little white house. A red Jeep Wrangler was parked in the driveway. She'd seen this house before, driven by it many times. In fact, the cabin she was renting was just up the street. “You live here?”

“Nah. I used to, but I bought a condo downtown last year. My friends and I are turning this place into an extreme outdoor sporting facility—Off-the-Grid Adventures.”

“Extreme outdoor sports?”

“Yeah. Zip-lining, rock climbing, that kind of thing.” His eyes gleamed with pride.

“Wow, that sounds, um…exciting.”

His lips quirked. “You look horrified.”

“Sorry. I guess I'm not adventurous.”

He looked like he was about to say something, but then he shook his head. “I'll drive you to the clinic and then take you home. Where are you parked? I can get someone to drop your car off at your place later.”

“I walked.”

“Really? Where do you live?”

“Just up the road actually.”

His brows lifted. “Oh, you must be renting the Merryweather place.”

“Yes.”

He opened the back of the Jeep and pulled out a light blue T-shirt that said,
I'D RATHER BE GETTING HIGH
, with a graphic showing someone hang gliding. “Sorry. This is all I've got.”

“It's okay. I'd rather be getting high than stung by wasps.” She laughed in spite of herself. “Thanks for the shirt.”

“My pleasure.” His gaze flicked briefly to her breasts, still outlined in embarrassing detail beneath her wet tank top.

Her cheeks burned even hotter as she turned her back and pulled the shirt over her head.

Lord have mercy. Ethan scrubbed a hand over his eyes and tried to wipe the dirty thoughts from his mind. Gabby Winters was turning him on big time, even red and blotchy from the wasp attack, still slightly bedraggled from her tumble into the stream, and wearing his ridiculously oversized T-shirt.

Nurse Meyers had examined her, dosed her with Benadryl, and given her a tube of anti-itch cream to take home. Her symptoms seemed to be a reaction to the amount of yellow jacket venom in her system, not an allergy.

Gabby settled on the front seat of the Jeep, looking slightly more relaxed, probably thanks to the Benadryl. She leaned back and closed her eyes.

“I'll be right back.” He left her in the Jeep and walked into the pharmacy next door. He grabbed a couple of jumbo-sized candy bars, a bottle of water, and a package of Benadryl tablets. After paying for his purchases, he snagged one of the candy bars for himself and walked out to the Jeep. He handed the bag to her. “For later.”

She peered inside, her eyes widening. “Thanks, but you didn't have to—”

He waved her off. “The least I could do. Now let's get you home.”

Neither of them spoke on the short drive to her house. It was a classic-looking mountain cabin, with wood-paneled walls and a real wood-burning fireplace. He knew because he'd done some work on the deck a while back. The Merryweathers had moved to nearby Boone a few years ago and now rented the place out to vacationers.

In the driveway, Gabby climbed out of the Jeep and gave him a small smile. “Thanks again for all your help today.”

“Any time. See you around.” He watched until she was safely inside, then turned back toward the center of town and his condo. He ripped open the wrapper on the candy bar and took a big bite. His stomach had been growling since before he'd found Gabby in the woods. It was too late now to go back and make a video of the zip-line. He'd have to shoot it tomorrow morning and hope it didn't delay production on the new website for Off-the-Grid Adventures.

He chewed through the candy bar in the time it took to drive home, but it didn't come close to filling him. The leftover pizza in his fridge ought to do the trick. The roar of a Harley behind him on Main Street could mean only one thing: His good buddy Ryan Blake had arrived in town. A grin worked its way across Ethan's face. Tonight was looking up after all.

He swung into the space behind his building and watched as Ryan parked beside him. Shit was getting real now. Ryan was here, and Mark planned to arrive by the end of next week. They'd requested to have the property on Mountain Breeze Road rezoned from residential to commercial to allow Off-the-Grid Adventures to operate there, and it was taking longer than expected, but with any luck, they'd be accepting customers by the end of the month.

He stepped out of the Jeep. “Well, look what the cat dragged in.”

Ryan grinned at him from behind mirrored shades. “Good to be home.”

Ethan pulled him in for a hug and a clap on the back. “Good to see you, man. You check out your new digs yet?”

Ryan nodded. “Got here this afternoon. The place looks nice.”

The old brick building in front of them had once housed the town's newspaper offices. It had sat empty for over a decade, but last year, Garrett Waltham, a local businessman, had bought it, renovated it, and converted it into three spacious condos. Ethan, Mark, and Ryan bought them, ready to turn this old building into their newfangled bachelor pad.

Ethan's stomach growled again. “You want to head over to Rowdy's for a beer and some wings?”

“Definitely.”

They walked down the block to Main Street. Rowdy's was just around the corner, ambitiously named for this laid-back town, but occasionally, if enough alcohol was consumed, it lived up to its name.

Ethan and Ryan took a table near the front where they could see the game on the TV behind the bar.

“Hi, Ethan,” their waitress, a pretty blonde named Tina, said as she approached their table.

“Hey, Tina.”

She adjusted the neckline of her top, giving him a better view of her cleavage, then turned to his friend, her eyes widening. “Ryan Blake?”

“Yo.” Ryan gave her a friendly look, his gaze sliding from her face to her breasts.

Dog.
Ethan shook his head with a grin.

“I'm Tina Hawthorne. I was in class with your brother.”

Ryan's eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

“Bro, she means Mark,” Ethan said.

“Right. Good to see you, Tina.” Ryan's posture relaxed. He and Mark had been foster brothers for a few years in high school after they'd both been taken in by Howard MacDonald in Silver Springs, the next town over from Haven.

After being bounced around the foster care system, Old Man MacDonald had been a welcome respite, a stable home where they were treated fairly and with respect. Ethan had gotten even luckier. After only a year in the system, Dixie had shown up and taken him in. Luckiest day in his damn life.

Tina had her hand on Ryan's biceps, admiring his tats. He showed her an eagle he'd had inked on his right arm, and next thing Ethan knew, she had lifted her shirt to show Ryan a little blue bird tattooed on her hip.

It was cute. So was she. Ethan sometimes flirted with Tina when he came here, which was often. She'd never shown him her tattoo. But tonight he didn't care because his thoughts were still occupied with Gabby, her honeysuckle-scented hair and those gorgeous caramel eyes. There was an air of mystery around her that intrigued him.

He wanted to see her again. Soon.

He and Ryan ordered a pitcher of beer and a platter of wings from Tina, then settled back to watch some baseball.

“You heard from Mark?” Ryan asked.

Ethan shook his head. “He said he'll be in next week, so he'll be here.”

His phone pinged with a text message. He swiped it from his back pocket and grinned.

What's this I hear about you escorting our lovely friend Gabby Winters to the clinic?

It was from Gram, the tech-savviest seventy-year-old he'd ever known.

She stomped on a yellow jacket nest. She's pretty sore, but she'll be okay
, he wrote back.
How do you know her?

Silly question. Gram knew everyone in town.

We met at the garden store. She's a sweetheart.

Entirely too sweet for the likes of him, and they both knew it.

“Who are you texting?” Ryan asked. “You better not be planning to ditch me for a chick on my first night back in town.”

Ethan held his phone up so that Ryan could see the screen.

His friend chuckled. “Tell Gram I said hi.”

He did, and Gram replied that she'd like to have them all over for dinner soon. Ethan's gut twisted uncomfortably. He'd scheduled her to see a specialist in Charlotte on Monday for a second opinion. This guy was supposed to be the best. Surely he could find a way to save her life.

Because Ethan had no fucking clue what he would do without her.

G
abby opened her eyes to one hell of a hangover. Only she hadn't been drinking. This was more of a post-wasp hangover. A dull pain pulsed between her eyes, and her whole body ached. With a groan, she rolled out of bed and padded into the bathroom.

The good news was that, other than the red welts on her face, she looked normal, or as normal as she ever looked first thing in the morning. Yesterday's red-splotched, flames-from-hell skin was gone. Just the memory of it made her cringe.

She rubbed some anti-itch cream on her face, freshened up, and wandered into the kitchen for a much-needed cup of coffee. She started the Keurig and tapped her fingers restlessly against the counter until her mug had filled with piping hot caramel vanilla roast—her morning addiction.

She brought the coffee with her into the living room. The view from this room had sealed the deal the first time she'd seen the place. It was a far cry from the condo in downtown Charlotte she'd shared with Brad. Here her only neighbors were chickadees and cardinals and the occasional deer. Beyond the back deck, the yard dropped off in sweeping views of the Great Smoky Mountains.

It was breathtaking.

She sipped gratefully from her coffee, listening to the birds chirp outside the window as the caffeine slowly permeated her system. She'd made such a fool of herself yesterday in front of Ethan Hunter. He was handsome and charming in an effortless way, the kind of guy who probably had ladies lined up around the block waiting for the chance to date him. Once upon a time, she might have joined that line, but not now.

Now she just wanted to put yesterday behind her and move on. She'd come here to do things on her own, after all. But the utter silence in the house was a bit unnerving. She'd been toying with the idea of stopping by the animal shelter after work today. Maybe she'd adopt a cat or a little dog, something to keep her company without any of the emotional baggage that came with a member of the human race.

She finished her coffee and took a long, hot shower. Then she blew her hair dry and put on makeup, hiding the red welts on her face as well as she could. She could have just stayed in her pajamas since she worked from home, but for some reason, she'd always felt compelled to get dressed and make herself presentable anyway.

She came back through the kitchen for a granola bar, then headed for the spare bedroom, which currently served as her office. She booted up the computer, already mentally running through today's checklist. There was a bug in the interface she hadn't been able to find yesterday. That meant it was her top priority today.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. A knock? In the two months she'd lived in Haven, no one had come to her house, not even a door-to-door salesman. She'd tried and largely succeeded at staying off the radar, even in such a small town.

The knock came again, harder and louder this time. A man's knock.

With a frown, she started toward the front door. A niggle of fear twisted in her stomach. It couldn't be Brad. Only her parents knew she was here in Haven.

Gabby pressed her eye to the peephole. Ethan Hunter stood on the other side. She blew out a breath, ignoring the little thrill that ran through her at the sight of him. What in the world was he doing here?

She flipped the deadbolt and opened the door. “Ethan?”

“Hi.” Today he wore a gray T-shirt that said,
ATTITUDE & ALTITUDE,
and depicted a man rock climbing. Ethan's wavy blond hair looked as if he'd just run his fingers through it, while his lips curved in what appeared to be his trademark flirtatious smile. “I came to see how you were feeling, but you look as if nothing out of the ordinary happened yesterday.”

“Thanks, I think.” She ran her hands over her cotton skirt. “I'm feeling much better today.”

“Glad to hear it. I brought these for you.” He held out a bouquet of flowers, and
oh
…they were gorgeous. A mixture of daisies, lilies, and all kinds of flowers whose names she didn't know, but they were all bright and colorful. She couldn't keep the huge smile off her face.

“Thank you.” She took them from him and pressed her nose into their depths, inhaling their sweet scent. So lovely. One of her very favorite things in the world, yet so wrong coming from this man she barely knew. “You didn't have to do this.”

“I know.” He gave her another heart-stopping smile. “But I've never known a woman who didn't like getting flowers.”

“Would you, um, would you like to come in?” Because it was awkward that they were still standing in her doorway, but to have him inside her house felt dangerous…in a thrilling kind of way. No doubt about it, she was attracted to him. A lot.

“Sure.” He followed her into the living room, moving with the easygoing confidence of a man who probably never felt out of place anywhere. That kind of swagger ought to turn her off, but seemed to be having the opposite effect.

He walked to the window, taking in the view of the mountains beyond. “So what do you do for a living? I can't believe I haven't bumped into you around town before.”

“Oh, I work from home. I'm a software developer.” She fiddled with the flowers in her hands, then turned toward the kitchen to look for a vase.

“So you write computer code?”

She nodded. “For video games.”

“Really? I've never known anyone who designs games. Do you get to play them, too?”

“I do, after they're finished. That's the best part, really.” She felt herself smiling as she rummaged through cabinets. “Sorry. This place came furnished, and I have no idea where a vase might be.”

To her surprise, Ethan joined her in the kitchen, helping her search. “So you're a gamer?”

Gabby bit her lip. “Yes.” A lot of men disliked women stepping into what they perceived as their territory. Brad had continually gotten bent out of shape that she could beat him at almost any game.

Ethan pulled open another cabinet. “That's cool. I don't play much myself, but my buddy Mark—he's big time into it. He likes that adventure series,
King of the Desert
.”

Her fingers closed over a slender blue vase, which she nearly dropped in surprise. “Oh, I helped design that one.”

“No shit?” Ethan took the vase and the flowers from her. “Okay, I'm seriously impressed.”

“Really?”

“Are you kidding? That's awesome.” He filled the vase with water and put the flowers inside. “You are totally badass.”

“Oh. Well, thanks.” The tight confines of the kitchen had them standing way too close. His cheeks were coated in several days of scruff, making him look even sexier. She was staring at his lips, imagining them on hers, and goodness, her hormones were out of control. “Um, would you like some water? Or coffee?”

“A glass of water would be great.” The glint in his blue eyes told her he knew exactly what she was thinking. His gaze flicked to her mouth.

Gabby resisted the urge to lick her lips. “And you, what do you do for a living?”

“I do a lot of odd jobs around town. I helped build your deck.” He nodded in the direction of the back window. “But my friends and I are opening Off-the-Grid Adventures later this month, so that's my main focus right now.”

She ducked her head. “Right. You told me that yesterday.”

“No worries. You were rather preoccupied.” Another charming smile. He should patent those, because they were pretty intoxicating. “I'm also the swim coach at Pearcy County High. We're off now for the summer, although I offer private lessons year round to my students.”

“Oh. So you swim?”
Duh.
God, she was doomed to say stupid things in front of this man.

“Yeah. I swim.” There was humor in his smile now, and she had the annoying feeling she was missing something, but the thought of Ethan in swim trunks had short-circuited her brain.

“That's great.” She turned away and rummaged in the cabinets again, this time for a glass. Then she reached into the fridge for the pitcher of filtered water and filled it for him.

“Thank you.” He took a long drink, still standing way too close. “If all our permits come through, we hope to open by the end of the month. The zip-line course is complete. You should stop by. I'd love to take you out on it.”

“Oh.” She took a step back. “Thank you, but I'd rather keep my feet on the ground.”

“Not a fan of heights?”

Or of risk-taking in general. “No.”

He grinned, a cocky grin that should have sent her running, but didn't. “How long are you in town?”

“Through the end of the summer.” She'd have to go home to Charlotte sooner or later, but for now, hiding out in Haven seemed as good a plan as any.

“I'll get you in a harness by then.”

She frowned. “Don't be so sure about that.”

“Oh, I'll get you up there. It's a great way to conquer your fear.”

Gabby crossed her arms over her chest, chin up. “I never said I was afraid.”

Ethan felt an uncomfortable tug in his stomach. He'd just been teasing, but now she
did
look frightened, and he felt like an ass. “No, you didn't. Well, we've got lots of other things on the docket. Rock climbing, hiking, an outdoor survival skills class taught by my buddy Mark that should be really kick-ass.” Although he didn't like thinking about Gabby out in the woods with Mark, nor did he like the idea of them playing
King of the Desert
together.

The truth was, Ethan liked her, so much that he was toying with the idea of asking her out. By all appearances, she was the type of girl he shied away from: the type of girl who would eventually want something more than he was able to give. But if she was only in town temporarily, a casual relationship might be just what she needed right now, too.

She eyed him cautiously. “Well, the survival skills training does sound interesting.”

Damn him for mentioning it. “I think it's going to be great. Mark is former special ops so he definitely knows his stuff. Good skills for anyone to have.”

“You never know when they'll come in handy.” She glanced at the clock above the sink.

“I should let you get to work.”

“I suppose so. Thanks again for stopping by, and for the flowers. That was really sweet of you.”

Sweet. Now there was something he didn't get called every day. “You're welcome.”

She followed him to the front door.

He turned toward her, allowing his fingers to brush against hers. “So I'll see you around then.”

She nodded. “See you around.”

He walked out to the Jeep, already thinking of excuses to see her again.

Ryan was waiting when he pulled in the driveway at Off-the-Grid Adventures.

“You ready to see this place or what?” Ethan asked.

“Ready.” Ryan took off his helmet and swung off the bike. “I get to help test the zip-line course, right?”

“Damn straight.” Ethan fell into step beside his friend as they walked down the path behind the house. “And how 'bout some rock climbing afterward?”

“Last one to the top's buying lunch.” Ryan gave him a smug smile.

“I know better than to take that bet.” Ethan stopped in his tracks. The ground below the zip-line platform was littered with beer cans, cigarettes, and other trash. One of his brand-new harnesses lay tangled in the mess. “What the fuck?”

“You have a party without me?” Ryan said.

Ethan raced up the steps to the platform. Gear was strewn about, mixed with yet more beer cans. Worse, the hand trolley wasn't clipped to the safety line. “Someone's been up here.”

“Ya think?” Ryan stepped onto the platform behind him, surveying the mess.

“The zip-line's been used.” Ethan strode to the edge of the platform and looked toward the other end of the line. The trolley hung halfway between platforms, an empty harness dangling from it. “Someone was out here last night.”

“Or a bunch of someones.” Ryan kicked a beer can. “Drunk someones.”

“Teenagers.” It had to be. Getting drunk and riding a zip-line in the middle of the night without proper training—or any training—was stupid and dangerous and exactly the kind of reckless thing he would have done when he was a teen.

He went back down the stairs, headed for the second platform. Ryan fell into step beside him. “We'll need to start locking up the gear and maybe post some
NO TRESPASSING
signs, too,” Ryan said.

“Yeah.” Something Ethan should have done already. It was nothing but dumb luck that whoever had been here last night hadn't gotten hurt out on the course. He and Ryan came up to the second platform, finding more beer cans. The ground below the platform was all scuffed up. Several deep gouges had been carved into the earth.

Something darkened the dirt at one edge, and there were droplets on the nearby leaves. It almost looked like—

“Blood,” Ryan said, his voice gone deadly serious.

A trail of blood drops led from the platform into the woods. Cursing a blue streak, Ethan took off at a jog with Ryan at his side. They followed the blood all the way to the road. Muddy tire tracks marred the grassy edge of the pavement where a car had been parked.

Ethan yanked his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed the Pearcy County Sheriff's Office.

Gabby spent the morning deeply imbedded in computer code, weeding through line after line to find the piece that was making her action sequence buggy. “Aha!” She clapped her hands when she finally spotted the problem—someone had inserted the wrong reference type into one of her parameters.

She fixed it, then stood and walked into the kitchen to refill her water glass and contemplate lunch. She had just opened the refrigerator when she heard a knock at the front door.