Backwoods

Abby glanced at Nathan, who was lounging on the narrow beach beside her. He hadn’t blinked an eye at their reckless jumps or flirty touching. Then again, he’d also laughed when his son punched him in the face.

“She has no sense of caution,” Abby said, feeling obligated to explain Brooke’s behavior. “That’s why she was surprised you lied to those men. She notices attention and creepy looks on occasion. But she doesn’t anticipate danger, and she only sees the good in people.”

He rested his forearm on a bent knee. “That’s a nice quality to have.”

“It terrifies me.”

“I don’t blame you.”

Abby appreciated the acknowledgment. Ray had always denied there was a problem. “She got knocked out during the San Diego earthquake. I’ve always wondered if the head trauma changed her. Ever since then, she’s been more adventurous, more ambitious.”

He studied Leo and Brooke for a moment, his brow furrowed. She got the impression that he found his son lacking in comparison. Maybe, as a former pro athlete, he had higher expectations than the average parent. “Should I talk to Leo?”

“He’s done nothing wrong.”

“To be fair, neither has she.”

Abby was glad he didn’t think badly of Brooke. Her daughter seemed determined to be a matchmaker. Abby’s cheeks heated at the memory of the body hair remark. Although Abby had no particular preference either way, his chest was delicious. He looked strong and fit, with hard muscles and a flat stomach. He didn’t have that much hair, just a lightly furred area on his pecs and an intriguing trail down his belly.

“I hope those hikers didn’t follow us,” she said, tearing her gaze away.

“I kept glancing over my shoulder, and I didn’t see them.”

Abby wished she had her cell phone. She could have taken an incognito picture of them and done an internet search. This lake was the site of the drowning. Her fingers itched to scroll for information about local runaways and hunting accidents.

Brooke climbed the boulder and prepared to dive again. Abby stifled a gasp as Brooke took a running leap off the edge and spread out like a flying squirrel. About halfway down, she tucked into a smooth somersault and plummeted into the lake. Abby didn’t unclench her fists until Brooke broke through the surface.

“You know what you should do,” Nathan said.

“What?”

“Try it.”

“Jumping off?”

The corner of his mouth turned up. “There’s only one cure for fear of the unknown.”

Her pulse pounded at the thought of taking that plunge, sinking into the deep. So far, the trip had been full of triggers. Strange men in the woods, physical altercations, extreme stunts. Everything made her uneasy, from the thick forest to the wide expanse of open water before her. “Is it that obvious?”

“Your discomfort, you mean?”

She nodded.

“Not really. Ballplayers learn to read body language and facial expressions. We have to anticipate a player’s next move.”

“Does it work with Leo?”

He touched the sore spot on his lip, rueful. “Apparently not.”

Nathan appeared to have instigated the fight. Despite this brief lapse in maturity, she still liked him. At least he hadn’t traded punches with Leo. Somehow, the macho shoving match had broken the ice between them.

Men.

Abby frowned on Nathan’s methods, but she could relate to what he was going through. She understood how it felt to be torn apart. He also seemed aware of his own failings and desperate to improve. That was appealing to her. The fact that he was handsome, well-built and observant didn’t hurt, either. He might not have a clue about communicating with his son, but he knew how to please a woman. Shivery intuition told her that.

She inhaled a sharp breath, drawing his attention to her chest. Her nipples pebbled against the wet fabric of her bikini top.

He returned his attention to the lake. “I need to get back in the water.”

It was hot. Sweat trickled between her breasts.

“Come on,” he said. “I’ll jump with you.”

“That sounds more dangerous.”

“Okay, I’ll go first, and you can jump to me. I’ll be right there.”

The granite island loomed in the close distance, taunting her. She could climb up with Nathan and brave the unknown. Or she could sit on the sand, wallowing in heat and anxiety. “You really think it will help?”

“Sure. Most fears are based on inexperience and unfamiliarity. Our imaginations conjure all sorts of scary, but unlikely, scenarios. As soon as you jump, you’ll realize it’s not that bad. Then you can relax.”

She smiled at his pep talk. “So this will be a quick, natural tension reliever?”

His eyes darkened. “I can think of a better one.”

So could she. He looked interested enough to pounce on her at the slightest provocation, but they couldn’t just wander off into the woods for a quickie. Even if she’d been willing to engage in a naughty fling, their kids were here, and encouraging a man like him would only lead to trouble. He was too charming, too sexy.

Too risky.

Brooke and Leo headed toward the rocks for another turn, spurring her into action. “Okay,” Abby said. “I’ll try it.”

“The jump?”

“Yes, the jump.”

He seemed surprised by her agreement. Cliff-diving was a sport for wild teenagers like Leo and Brooke, not women her age, with skittish temperaments. Maybe she was avoiding the greater danger—Nathan himself.

She stood, brushing the sand off her bottom. His lean physique made her feel self-conscious about her figure. He was extremely fit, without an ounce of spare flesh. Although she was on the slim side, she wasn’t young and perky anymore. Her stomach and hips were softer. Her thighs had more jiggle.

He watched her wade into the lake, his neck flushed. “Splash me.”

“Why?”

“For luck.”

She’d never heard of such a thing, but she splashed him. The water hit his face and shoulders, trickling down his chest.

He shook it off like a dog and lumbered to his feet. Vanity had her wondering if he’d been overheated—aroused, even—because of her. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d given a man an inappropriate erection.

Hiding a smile, she ducked under the icy water and swam to the cluster of boulders. Brooke and Leo were already jumping from the opposite side. Abby hauled herself onto the lowest boulder, with some difficulty. The path to the top was wet. She used the same handholds and footholds that Brooke and Leo had used, her mouth pursed in concentration. It was an undignified climb in a bathing suit, with Nathan right behind her. If she’d known a hot guy would be staring at her butt in broad daylight, she might have gone tanning or had her cellulite zapped.

She reached the plateau, breathless. “I didn’t enjoy that.”

“I did.”

Abby laughed, accepting his help to stand up. A wave of dizziness struck her as she peered over the edge. “Oh God.”

“What are you doing?” Brooke yelled from below.

Nathan kept a firm grip on Abby’s hand. “What does it look like? We’re jumping.”

Leo put two fingers in his mouth and whistled to cheer them on.

Brooke was less than thrilled. “Be careful,” she said with a frown, as if uncomfortable with the role reversal.

“I’ll try not to break a hip,” Abby said.

Nathan smiled at the joke, squeezing her hand.

He’d been wrong about the power of her imagination. Reality was worse. It looked so much higher from up here. The distance to the water made her stomach flip. She felt like she was standing on the roof of a skyscraper.

“I can’t do it,” Abby said.

“Sure you can. I’ll go first. When I call out to you, jump. If you wait too long, you’ll overthink it.”

Brooke swam to the underwater obstacle with Leo and gazed up at them.

“Don’t push me,” Abby said.

He let go of her hand.

“I can’t feel my face.”

“As long as you jump away from the boulder, you’ll be fine,” he said. “Keep your arms and legs straight.”

She was about to tell him not to leave her when he did it. He just leaped off the edge like it was nothing. His body hit the water, arrow-straight. When he resurfaced a few seconds later, he was grinning.

“Come on,” he said, swimming backward to give her some room. “You can do it.”

Abby didn’t want to. She pictured herself fainting and dashing her head against the rock. “I have to sit down.”

“Don’t sit down. Jump!”

She looked for a way out, her shoulders shaking. The path they’d climbed would be difficult to descend. More dangerous than jumping. Leo gave her a thumbs-up signal. Brooke clapped a hand over her eyes. Nathan wagged his fingertips forward.

Abby jumped.

She was only airborne for a few seconds. Then she hit the water with a hard splash. It penetrated her eyelids and rushed in her nostrils. Panic bubbles emerged from her throat. After sinking deep, she clawed her way to the surface, gasping as she broke through.

Brooke swam to her side, excited. “Mom! You did it!”

She had done it. And she never wanted to do anything like it again.

“How was it?” Nathan asked.

“Horrible.”

His smile faded. “You didn’t think it was fun?”

“No.”

The three of them seemed baffled by Abby’s response. Tears stung her eyes. She turned and swam to the narrow beach, collapsing on the sand.

Nathan joined her. “I’m sorry,” he said, chagrined. “I thought you’d enjoy it.”

She put a towel around her shoulders, still shaking.

“I feel like a jerk.”

Abby didn’t blame him for trying to help her. Maybe she was beyond hope. She practiced her steady breathing and positive visualization techniques. The sun warmed her wet hair. After a few moments, she calmed.

And she noticed a change.

The next time Brooke dived off the edge, Abby didn’t freeze up as much. She knew the drop wasn’t deadly. She’d survived it.

“To be honest, I’m surprised you even climbed up there, let alone jumped,” Nathan said. “It was pretty scary.”

She wiped the tears from her cheeks. “It was.”

“You’ve got balls, lady.”

“I feel better.”

“You do?”

She nodded. “I didn’t like it, but I’m glad I did it.”

He studied her with a quiet sort of admiration, as if seeing her in a new light. His regard for her went deeper, slipping below the surface. He was attracted to her for reasons other than the way her breasts looked in a bikini. She thought about his offer to relieve her tension the old-fashioned way and realized then that it would never happen. They couldn’t have a no-strings sexual affair. The strings were already there.

A scream rang out across the lake, startling her. Abby scrambled to her feet. Her damp towel fell off her shoulders.

Nathan rose with her. “What was that?”

Leo and Brooke were treading water near the boulders, so the cry hadn’t come from either of them. It sounded like a woman.

Another shriek followed, high-pitched with terror.

“Someone needs help,” Brooke said. She started swimming toward a thatch of trees on the opposite side of the lake.

Abby covered her mouth with one hand. Her first instinct was to tell Brooke to stop, and the reaction shamed her. She’d always taught her daughter to help others, especially other girls. She went out of her way to do the same. But this was different. It was a threatening sort of unknown. An icy fear gripped Abby’s heart and wouldn’t let go.

Leo accompanied Brooke with no hesitation whatsoever. Nathan waded into the water, cursing under his breath. He swam toward them, his strokes sure and swift. Abby couldn’t just stand there, frozen and helpless.

She dove in and started swimming.

Although Brooke had an early lead, Leo was the strongest swimmer. He caught up with her near the middle of the lake and pulled ahead. Nathan showed his athletic prowess by passing Brooke and continuing after his son. They were all scared. The race to the other side was no friendly competition, no fun adventure.

Leo climbed out of the water first, his chest heaving. Nathan was right there with him. Brooke arrived shortly after.

Abby concentrated on steady strokes, trying not to panic. By the time she stumbled onto the shore, Nathan and Leo were arguing about what to do. They stood in front of the thick copse of pine trees, faces tense.

Panting from exertion, Abby walked toward Brooke.

“Stay here,” Nathan ordered Leo.

“Fuck, no,” Leo said. “I’m going with you.”

Nathan reached down and picked up a heavy stick. Holding it like a baseball bat, he entered the forest. Leo found a fist-sized rock and went with him, ready to strike. Neither of them appeared to consider bringing along Abby or Brooke.

Abby rested her palms on her knees, winded. She didn’t approve of them creeping into the forest like white knights, armed with blunt objects. They had no idea what was going on. A woman in pain or danger would respond better to other women.

“Did you try calling out to her?” she asked Brooke.

“No one answered,” Brooke said.

They waited at the edge of the trees, dripping wet. This side of the lake was cloaked in shadow, and it made all the difference. The temperature was ten degrees cooler. Abby shivered in the cool air, her skin and hair damp.

“How many screams did you hear?” Abby asked.

“Two. I’m not sure where they came from.” Brooke wrapped her arms around her body, glancing over her shoulder.

Abby studied their surroundings. It was called Echo Lake for a reason. The granite rock formations caused sound to bounce off in all directions. She could have sworn the cries rang out from here, but she wasn’t sure. “Could an animal make that noise?”

“Maybe a mountain lion.”

“It sounded like a woman.”

“Or a girl,” Brooke said quietly.

Abby remembered the drowning victim’s age: seventeen. The missing hiker was twenty-five, the lost girlfriend twenty-one.

Brooke wasn’t the type to sit on the sidelines. She searched the branches by the shore and picked up two hefty sticks. Passing one to Abby, she tilted her head toward the woods. Abby debated the wisdom of following the men, but she couldn’t stop Brooke from going, and she wanted to stay together.

Brooke tiptoed into the foliage, stealthy and silent. Abby crept close behind, wincing as her bare foot encountered a sharp rock. They inched forward, ears and eyes peeled. Abby saw no signs of humans or large animals. She heard no sounds, other than birds chirping and lizards rustling through the leaves.

Brooke continued through a small clearing. They were straying too far from the lakeshore, but Abby kept moving. She squinted at a strange shape in the trees ahead. Insects swarmed in a dark cloud. Her nostrils tickled with a muddy, metallic smell. She became aware of a stretching sound, like swaying rope.

“Ugh,” Brooke said, wrinkling her nose.

Abby pushed past Brooke to see. Her stomach dropped as she examined the gory scene. A full-sized deer hung from the tree, eviscerated. Its entrails lay in a neat pile on the leaves. Blood dripped from the flayed belly, streaking the animal’s dark fur.

Nathan and Leo entered the clearing a moment later. When Leo saw the hanging deer, his handsome face went gray. He stumbled away and retched in the bushes.

Nathan gave him a disgusted look. “Pull yourself together, Leo.”

Abby couldn’t believe he’d criticize his son for getting sick at a time like this. Brooke threw down her stick and went to see if Leo needed help. He shrugged off her attempts to rub his shoulder.

“It’s fresh,” Nathan said, inspecting the deer.

Abby stepped forward to investigate.

“They took the choice cuts and left the rest. That’s illegal.”

She noted the missing chunks at the animal’s sides. “Those hikers, you think?”

“Maybe.”

“What about the screams?” Brooke asked.

“We didn’t see anyone,” Nathan said.

“Neither did we,” Abby said.

“A mountain lion can scream like that,” Brooke said.

Nathan nodded. “They’re drawn to the smell of blood.”

Abby glanced around the woods, studying the dark shadows as if a big cat might spring from the depths at any moment. “Let’s get out of here.”

CHAPTER SIX

THE TRIP AROUND the lake took a lot longer than the swim across.

As the sun dipped lower on the horizon, the temperature dropped into the 70s. Comfortable for hiking, if they weren’t wet, half-naked and barefoot. Nathan’s shorts were soaked. He’d have suggested swimming back, but they were all cold, and Leo was still pale. Nathan didn’t want him to throw up again.

The sight of the hanging deer brought back old memories. Nathan had hunted with his father in the woods of Wisconsin, where he’d grown up. He hadn’t enjoyed the sport. He’d always felt a little queasy, pulling the trigger. Dressing the kill was no picnic, either. He’d never complained, of course. His dad would have cuffed him for whining or showing weakness.

He felt disloyal for remembering his father that way, as if being strict was a crime. Maybe it was, in California. Now Conrad Strom was dead and gone. Former military, he’d been tough as nails, unaffectionate and slow to praise. A parent from another era. But there was nothing wrong with a man wanting his son to be strong.

Was there?

Nathan owed a lot of his success in baseball to his stern Midwestern upbringing. If his dad hadn’t pushed so hard, Nathan wouldn’t have achieved half as much. He’d been drafted into the minor league right out of high school. His father had encouraged him to reach for the stars. Whenever Nathan tried to do the same for Leo, it backfired.

This whole situation was a mess. One minute he was palling around with Leo and getting cozy with Abby. The next, he was creeping through the woods with a club, searching for a screaming girl.

Maybe he’d needed an interruption. His comments to Abby had been too suggestive. After a few minutes in her company, he’d forgotten his vow to keep his distance. She was just so...beautiful. Her curves made his mouth water and his palms itch. In his defense, he hadn’t gotten laid in a really long time.

It was more than that, though. They had great sexual chemistry, but he liked her personality. She had depth. If she’d been vapid or conceited or shrill, his urge to fuck her would have faded already. Instead, it kept growing with every smile he coaxed from her, every laugh that escaped her lips.

Damn.

She seemed interested, too. He assumed she was single. Her signals weren’t so obvious that he knew he could score with her. With some women, he could tell right away. Others were more of a challenge. Abby was the type he’d have to work for.

But never mind that. He wasn’t here to put the moves on Abby. His main priority was bonding with Leo. He wanted to be a better father. When this trip was over and they were back in San Diego, he could call Abby. Unless he kept making a jerk of himself and ruining his chances, which was possible.

Anyway, he had other things to worry about. Lawbreaking hunters and strange sounds and gutted animals. Nathan held the tree branch in a firm grip, just in case. He didn’t want to tangle with a hungry mountain lion.

When they reached the other side of the lake, he drew in a sharp breath. Their backpacks had been tampered with. Zippers and pockets were gaping open. A few stray items were strewn across the sand.

“Son of a bitch,” he said, tightening his grip on the club. They’d been robbed! “Check to see what’s missing.”

While Nathan stood watch, the others searched the packs.

“My cell phone’s gone,” Brooke reported.

Abby’s eyes widened with dismay.

“At least it’s my backup, so there’s no information to hack.”

“Why would they steal a phone they can’t use?” Abby asked.

“They can wipe it and sell it,” Leo said.

Nathan narrowed his gaze at the trees along the trail. Those long-haired creeps had drawn them away from their belongings to rob them. He didn’t know who or what had made the screaming sound. This was some sneaky, sinister shit.

“My stuff is all here,” Abby said. “I didn’t bring any money.”

“I did,” Nathan said. “It was in the side pocket.”

She reached into the zippered pouch of his pack and pulled out an empty clip. The wad of cash was gone.

“Fuck,” he muttered, raking a hand through his hair.

“How much was it?” she asked.

“Three hundred.”

Leo snorted at Nathan’s stupidity. “There goes our fancy dinner at that four-star restaurant down the trail.”

Nathan didn’t bother to respond. He always carried cash for emergencies, and it was a trifling amount. When they were done looking for missing items, Brooke reorganized the backpacks and they put on their discarded clothes.

“What should we do?” Abby asked.

“We have to make camp,” Brooke said. “It will be dark soon.”

Abby studied the trail, her lips trembling. It went without saying that this situation freaked her out.

“They’re gone,” Nathan said.

“What if they come back?”

“They won’t. We don’t have anything left to steal.”

This logic didn’t appear to convince her.

Nathan tried again. “Fresh venison is worth more than my cash and Brooke’s phone. In this weather, they have to get it to cold storage right away.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve hunted before. Meat has to be kept at forty degrees. The nightly lows have been in the fifties.”

Abby exchanged a nervous glance with Brooke. “They might have a cooler.”

“No. Ice is too heavy to hike in, and it won’t last a day out here. The lake isn’t cold enough, either.”

She blinked a few times, close to tears. “I want to go to the cabin.”

“Mom,” Brooke said in warning tone.

Leo stayed silent, as if he had no opinion either way.

“Three young women have disappeared in this area,” Abby said in a rush. “One right here at the lake.”

“She drowned,” Brooke said.

“They didn’t find a body.”

“You’re overreacting! They’re thieves, not serial killers.”

Abby flinched at the accusation, crossing her arms over her chest. Her anxiety seemed like a direct response to Brooke’s nonchalance. Abby had to be twice as careful to make up for her daughter’s lack of fear.

Nathan fell somewhere in the middle. He doubted the hunters were a serious threat, but he’d been wrong before. “Whatever they are, they’ll be on that trail. It’s the quickest way back to Monarch. If they think we’re following them, they might get defensive. Camping here is the safest option.”

“I don’t know,” Abby said.

“My dad and I can take turns keeping watch tonight,” Leo offered.

It was a good suggestion. Nathan agreed immediately.

Abby stepped away from Brooke and Leo, waving Nathan toward her for a private chat. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“What choice do we have?”

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

“Don’t be,” he said, his chest puffing up a little. He liked the idea of protecting her. But he also felt conflicted, as if he shouldn’t enjoy the ego boost. One day in the wilderness had turned him into a caveman. “I won’t let anyone hurt you or Brooke.”

“What about tomorrow?”

“We can look at the map and choose an alternative route back to the cabin.”

“Not Lupine Meadow.”

“No.”

She exhaled a ragged breath. “Okay.”

They put on their packs and prepared to leave. If they delayed much longer, they’d be pitching tents in the dark.

“Let’s switch up the hiking order,” Nathan said. “Leo should go first.”

Leo didn’t have to ask why. He found another good-sized rock to use as a bludgeon. Nathan had a buck knife in his pocket. He hadn’t drawn it on the other side of the lake, and he didn’t pull it out now, but he was glad to have a weapon. Before they walked away, Nathan noticed a small rectangular package on the sand.