Summer Love in the Forest (Summer Instalove)

Staring at the row of cabins across the clearing, I could see a tiny plume of smoke curling up from one of the middle buildings, and wondered idly if they were having a barbecue. As I squinted, I realized that it was getting darker a lot quicker than I expected.

Looking up at the sky, I saw dark clouds advancing from the west. There was a blurry edge at the bottom, showing the rain coming swiftly across the forest.

I could have kicked myself! I’d checked the maps, worn the right shoes, packed a bottle of water, and charged my phone. But I forgot to check the stupid weather.

The path wound down the hill, with some tricky rocky outcroppings. If I were to head straight across the clearing, it would probably be half the distance to my cabin. Although I wasn’t quite sure from this distance which one was mine, I knew it was one of the handful at the end.

Considering both options, I thought that perhaps I should be safe and take the trail after all, just in case. Then a flicker of lightning lit up the western sky. That settled it.

Pulling up my hood, I bolted across the clearing. I quickly discovered why it wasn’t used very often; there were huge rocks and old logs strewn everywhere. As soon as I got up to a decent speed, more obstacles would appear.

After a few minutes of trying to get the hang of keeping up my speed while not falling on my face, a few drops of rain began to fall. I angled my path slightly more toward the first cabin, thinking that some tree cover would be helpful.

The rain sprinkled at first, then began coming down in sheets. Droplets ran down my spine, icy water chilling me to the bone. Mud squelched in my hiking boots, as my teeth began to chatter. My only choice was to put one stinging leg in front of the other, continuing to plod toward the tree line.

I couldn’t believe that my day had gone from spectacular to horrific so fast. My lips felt numb as my face dripped with rain.

You can do this, I mentally screamed at myself. You’ve never given up on anything. Keep walking, and you’ll get to your cabin, and you can have hot tea.

My thigh muscles were becoming unsteady from the cold , as I slowly trod forward. I knew at this point that if I stopped for a rest, I would never get started again. I probably looked like a robot attempting to walk for the first time as my stiff legs propelled my drenched jeans forward step by step.

A flicker out of the corner of my eye made me look up into the gray nothingness lit up by the lightning for a split second. One heartbeat later, the thunder boomed so loudly over my head that I screamed, pitching forward while trying to step over a huge log.

My heel slipped, and as I fell back, screaming again, my arms lashed out to break my fall.

The dull thump of my head against the log was more irritating than painful at first. As I lay soaking in the mud, the most perfect plan came to me. If I just laid still for a couple of minutes and took a nap, I could try again when the rain stopped.

“Jesus H. Christ,” a deep voice rumbled through the near darkness.

My eyes weren’t just closed, they felt locked shut. Had I been completely out? For how long? As I tried to open first one eye, then the other, I saw a shadow coming towards me through the rain. My mouth tried to open to speak, then I choked and I spit some water out.

A hand gripped my face, giving me a shake. “Kate? Are you Kate?”

I nodded, forcing my eyes to open. The midnight blue gaze that was staring back at me made my pulse instantly race before my eyes began to close again.

“Kate, look at me,” he commanded. My face was almost numb, but I felt his thumb caress my cheekbone as he tilted my chin up. “Look into my eyes.”

Forcing my eyelids to open, I stared at him until he seemed to nod. His face was rugged. His dark hair flopped into his eyes a bit as it dripped down his face.

“No concussion, probably just dazed,” he muttered to himself. Then I was floating, and a bit warmer as my legs dangled in the air. There was something solid for me to shield my eyes from the cold rain, and that was all that mattered anymore.

CHAPTER TWO

* Ray *

When I heard the scream, my first thought was that another goddamn city girl found a spider in her cabin. But when I registered which direction it had been coming from, I grabbed my coat and bolted.

The second I saw her face, an indescribable tremor ran through me. She was an angel. A sweet little creature who needed my care. I could feel it.

As I carried her to my cabin, I could see that she had tried to be sensible. Good hiking boots, a little water bottle clipped to her thin jacket, her hair pulled back in a tidy braid. But the rain comes swiftly here sometimes, and she must have been caught out in it.

I would remember those brilliant green eyes until the end of my days. Holding her tightly against my chest, I murmured, “Almost there, Kate. We’re going to get you warmed up in just a few minutes, okay? Can you hear me?”

“Mmm hmm,” she murmured. The wind picked up, blasting us with a sheet of rain that pricked like ice, and she squealed, tucking into my shoulder for shelter.

“Two minutes,” I said softly. “Two minutes and you’ll be warm.”

Holding her snugly against me, I tried not to shake her too much as I walked. It was hard to see all of the obstacles I had to step around and over, but I knew this forest like the back of my hand and I didn’t put a foot wrong.