Beneath the Scars

I could only nod; too shocked at his sudden appearance to speak.

“Aside from the obvious, where?”

The obvious?

I pointed a shaking finger to my ankle.

He leaned down, his fingers prodding and checking. I winced when he tried to bend it and he placed my foot back down. “I don’t think it’s broken, but I’m not sure you can walk.”

“I know.”

He sat back on his heels. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

“Dixie—” My voice trailed off as his anger exploded.

“…was lost.” He finished my sentence. “So, you decide to compound the problem by charging into the woods and getting yourself lost, as well? Do you have any common sense at all? What good would it do her if you were hurt? Jesus, if I hadn’t found you—” He paused, only to start berating me again. “Do you have any brains in that head of yours, Megan?”

I took in a shuddering breath, startled by his fury.

“You are an awful man.”

He laughed—the sound dry and bitter. “Hardly a news flash, my dear.” He stood up and reached for my hand. “We need to get you out of the woods and somewhere warm.”

“Dixie—”

“She’s safe and sitting by the fire, in my living room. I found her not long after you left.”

My gasp of relief was almost painful, and the tears started running down my face again. I buried my face in my hands, huge sobs ripping from my chest. Zachary’s voice was softer when he spoke again. “Megan, we need to get you out of these woods. I’ve been looking for you for over an hour; we need to get out of the cold. Give me your hand, please.”

He’d been looking for me?

I wiped my eyes and held out my hand, allowing him to pull me up. When I was standing, my legs wobbling, he hesitated. “If you help me, support my weight a little, I think I can walk,” I insisted.

He moved closer, wrapping his arm around my waist, allowing my weight to settle into him. Despite the reason he was holding me, my body reacted. Warmth surged through me at his close proximity and I trembled from his touch.

“Try a step.”

I stepped forward, the pain tearing through me, making me gasp and stumble.

With a muffled curse, he swept me into his arms and my head fell into his chest as darkness closed in around me.6Zachary“Fuck!”

My arms shot out, grabbing Megan before she hit the ground. I pulled her unconscious form closer to my chest, cradling her tight. She was out cold, her body limp and dangling in my arms. Calling Elliott to heel, I hurried back to the house. I was grateful we weren’t too far away, and I knew the way well. How she had left the path in the woods and ended up here, was a mystery to me. She must have been wandering in circles, getting more lost each time. Another ten feet and she would have walked right off the bluff and fell the long distance to the hard, unforgiving sand below. The thought of that happening had me tightening my grip on her.

It had taken mere seconds for the guilt to hit me after I slammed the door on Megan, her face gaping at me in shock over my callous behavior. My earlier encounters with her had left me reeling and finding her on my doorstep was unexpected. Her very proximity caused feelings and desires I could never act upon, and it left a bitter taste in my mouth. The longing to reach out and pull her into my arms, to soothe her, was so strong I had to curl my hands into tight fists at my side to stop myself from doing exactly that. I wanted to draw her into my house, sit her in front of the warm fire, and assure her I would find her little dog she was so terrified she’d lost—but I didn’t; I couldn’t. Instead, her tear-filled eyes and desperate pleas for help had only panicked me further, causing me to treat her cruelly. I shook my head in disgust as I recalled my comment about the coyotes; it was definitely a low point—even for me.

I had stood on the stairs, uncertain, when I heard Elliott’s low whines, turning to see him sitting by the door, his tail thumping on the floor in a slow, rhythmic cycle. His look of disdain said everything; I walked back to the door, peered through the glass, my heart clenching at the sight of Megan sitting on my steps, obviously sobbing, her shoulders shaking. Before I could react, she had stood up, her posture determined, then she began hurrying back toward the house where she was staying. She’d run across the beach, tripping and stumbling; at one point she stopped, bent over, then continued on, and disappeared from view.