Early Saturday morning, Audra locked her cabin door, then stretched her arms high above her head. Her bright orange running jersey slid up her torso. She leaned left, then right, stretching the muscles of her back and sides. Audra jogged in place as she set the stopwatch feature on her digital wristwatch. It was only six-thirty, eastern standard time, three-thirty back home. She’d do an easy thirty-minute run out, then retrace her way back.
Her footsteps crunched along the gravel path, then abruptly silenced when the surface changed to dirt. A warm mid-July breeze followed her, carrying the scents of morning dew, grass, and pine from her isolated cabin toward the nearby lake.
“Aren’t there coyotes and bears in Ohio? And mountain lions?” Her mother’s question stalked her.
Audra stumbled on the smooth path. Why had Ellen planted that fear in her mind? Maybe jogging in the woods wasn’t a good idea. She didn’t know this area. She couldn’t assume it would be as safe as the path four miles from her Redondo Beach townhome.
She was almost to the clearing surrounding the lake when she saw a figure sprint from the wood on the other side.
Jack!
He was a blur of gray T-shirt and black shorts. His feet barely touched the ground. Audra gasped, jumping back. She crouched beside some bushes. Her heart thundered in her ears. Her body screamed with tension. What the hell was chasing him?
She shot a look back toward the tree line behind him. Even after several breathless seconds, the path remained empty. Her attention returned to Jack. He’d slowed to a walk.
Oh, for Pete’s sake! Was that the way he completed his morning run, with a sprint to the end of the path as though the hounds of hell were hunting him? She wished she’d known that before. Audra bent over, trying to catch her breath. But she kept a wary eye on Jack.
Without warning, he stripped his sweat-soaked T-shirt over his head. Her breath lodged in her throat. Again. She could barely see him on the other side of the lake. Still, her fingers shook with the need to trace his taut sienna back. She could almost feel the heat and dampness of his skin. There was something carnal about him that stirred a longing deep inside her that she didn’t recognize.
Audra’s gaze followed Jack as he crossed the whimsical blond-wood bridge back to the rental cabins’ side of the lake. He continued on the path to the main cabin. Only after he was out of sight did Audra exhale.
She found an easy pace that carried
her over the same bridge and into the woods across the lake. Her pulse quickened. Her stomach muscles quivered with nerves. Audra shook her head. She had to step out of her comfort zone and confront her fears. Jack had gone running on this trail and had returned in one piece. It must be safe. Right? She replaced her mental images of lions, tigers, and bears with one of Jack, bare-chested and sweaty. The trick vanquished her fears. Now her breathing was shallow for other reasons.
Two hours later, Audra had showered and dressed after her workout. She skipped down her weathered front steps and started toward the main cabin. It was almost half past eight o’clock. She bent her head back and gazed through the leaf-laden tree branches. The sun shone on the green leaves framed against the bright blue sky. Beautiful.
Audra arrived at the main rental cabin’s front door; this time, she was fully dressed and wearing shoes. She entered and closed the door before turning toward the registration desk—and Jack.
“Good morning.”
“Ms. Lane.” His smooth, deep voice made the greeting more formal.
His braids were even more disheveled this morning than they’d been yesterday. And his beard . . . was he channeling his inner ZZ Top? Audra’s thoughts flashed to the 1980s music video of the pop band’s hit song “Sharp-Dressed Man.” Jack could use some help with that.
“You can call me, um, Penny.”
Jack didn’t respond. His onyx eyes were steady on hers. What was he thinking? Was it too much to hope he’d forgotten the garbage bag she’d worn the last time she’d come to the cabin? Probably.
Audra smoothed the neckline of her lime green cotton blouse. “Do you have a map of the town? I’d like to get a few things, like groceries and curtains.”
“Curtains?”
“There are a lot of windows in the cabin, but none of them have curtains. I feel exposed.”
Jack stared at her in an unnerving silence for seconds before turning to the gray metal file cabinet behind him. He plucked a trifold brochure from a folder and returned to the desk. He spread the map across its surface, then picked up a pen.
“Groceries and curtains.” He circled a section on the map.
Audra leaned closer to study the area he’d marked. She caught his scent, soap and sandalwood. Audra glanced up, startled to find him once again staring at her. She stepped back.
“Thank you. Could you recommend a place where I could get breakfast?”
Jack paused before scanning the map again. He drew another circle in a location that appeared in the heart of town. “Books and Bakery.”
Her smile returned. “You aren’t much of a talker, are you, Jack?”
“No, Ms. Lane.”