With his help, Eva slowly eased through the window, avoiding the small shards of glass on the window sill. A second later, she disappeared on the other side. We waited patiently as she unlocked the door.
Entering the house, my eyes adjusted to the darkness. We stood in a very small living room. It contained a couch, an old recliner, and an older TV. It was stifling hot inside but at least the room was dark and we were out of the blazing sun.
“You two stay here. Brody and I will check out the rest of the house,” Ryder said before moving away.
As we waited, I wondered about the people who lived here. Where were they? Were they alive? Safe? The thoughts wouldn’t stop bombarding me. I didn’t feel right being in someone else’s home but I guess if we wanted to make it home, we needed supplies. This house was the answer.
“It’s clear.”
Before the words were out of Brody’s mouth, Eva grabbed my hand. “Let’s check the kitchen for food.”
In the kitchen, we found dirty dishes in the sink and an empty coffee cup on the small kitchen table. One chair had been knocked over and a few cabinet doors were left opened. Apparently, whoever had been here had left in a big hurry.
Eva didn’t waste any time. Dropping my hand, she rushed over to the sink and turned the faucet on. No water flowed from it. Next she opened the refrigerator door but quickly closed it when the smell of rotten food filled the room. I started checking the cabinets for anything we could use. Finally, I hit the jackpot.
“Eva!”
She ran over to me and looked with awe in the open cabinet. There was bread, peanut butter, two bags of potato chips, cans of soups, and canned chili. Enough food for three or four days.
“Thank God!” she squealed, throwing her arms around me.
I had never been so happy to see canned food before in my life. I pulled some out and sat them on the counter. We couldn’t eat it all and I refused to take everything. What if the homeowners made it back home only to find there was no food left? I couldn’t live with myself if someone went hungry because of us. Ryder could just be mad at me. I wasn’t taking all the food.
“We have to find water,” Eva said, letting go of me to start searching. She opened the remaining cabinets then a tiny pantry.
“Damn, nothing,” she said in a despondent whisper when the kitchen came up empty for the one thing we desperately needed.
Ryder walked into the kitchen, his eyes cutting over to me. “Anything?”
“Food but no water,” I answered, rubbing a hand over my eyes.
“Hey, you okay?” he asked, his footsteps loud on the old linoleum floor as he crossed the room to me.
I reluctantly raised my eyes to meet his. Nodding, I leaned against the counter.
“I’m fine,” I lied. The truth was I was tired and hungry. Thirsty and covered in dried mud. I wasn’t fine but none of us were.
He reached out to lift my chin up. “You’re not fine, Maddie. Sit down.”
“I said I was fine, Ryder,” I snapped, pulling my chin away. I hated that his touch made me burn, that his nearness made me aware of the control he had over me. But more than anything, I hated that we could only be just friends.
He clenched his jaw in frustration, an angry scowl replacing the soft look on his face.
“I’ll take care of her, Ryder. You go find some water,” Eva said, grabbing my hand and tugging me to follow her.
I gladly left the room, the anger still burning in me. One of these days, Ryder would learn not to push me around. And one of these days, maybe I wouldn’t need him so much.
Chapter Twenty
The people that lived in the tiny house were older, retired. There were pictures of them around but it was the colorful drawing of a horse, taped to the bedroom mirror, that gave it away. Someone had wrote in bright red crayon "for gramps and gram." My heart ached as I looked at the drawing. Someone’s grandmother and grandfather were gone, for today or for always, I didn’t know. But I did know that if we were having trouble surviving, the chances that this couple would make it home were slim to none.
Not wanting to think about it any longer, I gathered what I could from the bathroom. Toilet paper, Band–Aids, aspirin, bandages. It was all like gold now.
In the kitchen, Brody and Ryder had emptied the fridge of all the unspoiled food. Pickles, jelly, two soda drinks, a few plastic bottles of water, and a bottle of wine were now sitting on the counter along with what we had found in the cabinets. We would eat like kings tonight.
Ryder handed me a bottle of water when I walked into the kitchen. I hesitated to drink it because we hadn’t found more water yet but I was too thirsty to argue.
I took a long drink. The water felt wonderful going down my parched throat.
“Small sips, Maddie,” Ryder reminded me.
Knowing he was right, I slowed down, not wanting it to come back up when it hit my empty stomach. With half the bottle left, I handed it to Eva, knowing she needed it just as badly as I did.
Brody pushed away from the counter. “I’m going to check out the garage. Maybe they have water stored somewhere else.”
I knew water was essential but I couldn’t wait to tear into the food. I was opening a package of bread when Ryder stopped me.
“You two sit. I’ll make sandwiches,” he said, pushing me into a nearby chair. It felt wonderful to sit in a real chair again. It was amazing how the simplest things could be missed when they were gone.
I watched as Ryder spread peanut butter on a slice of bread. Handing me the sandwich, his eyes moved over my face. I felt the intensity from his stare all the way down to my toes.
Trying not to squirm under his scrutiny, I took a small bite of the sandwich. It tasted wonderful. I didn’t know peanut butter and jelly could be so heavenly. Must be starvation talking.
Eva opened up the chips and we dug in, so hungry that I had to remind myself to slow down or I would be sick.
Brody walked in and I just about jumped up and hugged him. He carried a huge case of bottled water. “They kept it in the garage,” he said, setting it on the counter. I never thought I would cry over water but I wanted to at that moment.
Ryder got up and grabbed a few bottles. He placed one in front of Eva and then one in front of me.
“Drink, Maddie,” he said, giving me another stern look.
I knew I should call him out on his bossiness but I was still so thirsty. The water was hot from sitting in the garage but it was wet. Never again would I complain about drinking lukewarm water.
We ate as much as we could, appreciating every little bite. Afterwards, we opened every window in the house, allowing the slight breeze to cool the place off. The house had plenty of rooms but we all stayed together. Safety in numbers and all that.
Until the house cooled off, we decided to sit on the porch. Eva and I shared the old porch swing, gently pushing it with our feet. Ryder took a seat on the porch stairs, looking out over the pasture, while Brody leaned a chair back and propped his feet up on the railing. We were all full and content and for the moment, safe.
Nature lured us into silence. Branches swayed in the breeze, birds chirped, and cicadas made noises somewhere in the trees.
I leaned my head back, closing my eyes. I immediately thought of my dad and wondered if he was okay. I imagined the moment when I finally walked through the front door. He would wrap me in his arms and hug me fiercely. I would be home. I would be safe. My mind replayed the scene over and over until I became drowsy.
I was almost asleep when Brody spoke, “I’m going to check the house for weapons. We need something better than a hunting knife if we want to make it home in one piece.”
As Brody left, I opened my eyes and found Ryder watching me under the brim of his hat. I looked away, a blush reddening my cheeks. That’s when something caught my attention. Cattle were slowly moving toward a line of trees fifty yards behind the barn. It was hot and if I knew cattle, they were heading toward water.
“Ryder, do you
think there’s a creek down there?” I asked, pointing to the trees.
He stood up so he could get a better look. “Might be. Why? What are you thinking?”
“If those cows are heading toward water that means a creek and a creek means a bath.”
“Don’t tease me, Maddie,” Eva muttered, standing up to look.
I jumped up and ran down the porch steps, now more than ever wanting to get clean. “Let’s go check it out.”
“Hold up. I’ll go grab some stuff and get Brody,” Eva said, turning back toward the house.
Ryder and I waited for her. Standing two steps above me, he towered over me easily, making me feel small and at his mercy.
“So, you still pissed at me for breaking in?” Ryder asked, putting his hands on his waist and looking down at me.
“Maybe.”
“You are so bullheaded, Maddie.” He took off his hat, running his fingers through his flattened hair. “I’ve never met a woman that drove me as goddamn crazy as you do.”
I shifted to my other foot nervously as his words sunk in. Was I really that bad?
Replacing his hat, he walked down the stairs, passing me.
“Don’t worry! When we get home, you’ll be free of me!” I called after him as he started across the yard.
He turned around and walked backwards, one side of his mouth quirking up.
“Who said I wanted to be free of you?”
My heart thumped like a rabbit as I watched him turn back around and cross the yard in long strides. Damn him! One minute he was saying we were only friends and the next he was making comments like that. He was such a contradiction and it was driving me crazy. But I didn’t have time to dwell on it. Eva and Brody came barreling out of the house carrying our backpacks and towels, both of them excited.
Ryder waited for us at the barbed wire fence. I ignored his wide stance and crossed arms as his stare bore down into me.
Without waiting for help, I crawled through the fence just as I’ve done a million times growing up. My broken rib ached but I was determined to do things without his help. He needed to know that I was perfectly capable of surviving without him.
The sun beat down with a vengeance as we across the pasture. The heat felt like fire against my skin. Now that I had a full stomach, I just wanted a cool bath.
Knee–high grass brushed softly against my bare legs as we walked. Any other day, I would have enjoyed the time outside but right now, I was very conscious of Ryder walking closely behind me.
Arriving at the top of the ravine, we stood in awe at the sight of water running below us. It was around thirty feet wide and slow moving. Large boulders were deposited here and there, causing the water to ripple and swirl. The trees provided abundant shade, which meant the water might be cool.
I couldn’t tell how deep it was but I didn’t care. I was covered in dirt, sweat, and grime. I had never been smeller in my life and I desperately needed to get clean.
“I get to take a BATH!” Eva squealed, jumping into Brody’s arms and giving him a loud kiss on the lips. Brody seemed to enjoy her enthusiasm as he held her, not letting her go until she wrestled out of his arms.
We left our shoes and socks at the top of the ravine and slowly made our way to the creek edge. Standing on the shore, we looked down into the brown, mucky water.
Eva started to pull her shirt off. “It looks disgusting but I don’t care.”
“Damn straight!” Brody agreed, stripping his clothes off in a frenzy.
I looked away in embarrassment but found a bigger problem. Ryder was pulling off his shirt. Muscles and tattoos taunted me to reach out and touch them.
The corner of his mouth lifted when he caught me staring. Keeping his eyes on me, he tugged his shorts down slowly. Very slowly. He left his boxers to hang low on his hips, causing another blush to race over my face.
Brody snagged my attention, yelling as he jumped off of one of the boulders into the creek, acting like a little kid in the neighborhood swimming pool. I watched as his head popped up above the water, flinging water everywhere as he grinned with happiness. Ryder followed suit, running and jumping feet first into the watery depths.
“Come on, Eva!” Brody yelled, treading water.
“Can I take my clothes off first?” Eva yelled back, laughing.
“Oh, I’ll wait for that!” he said with a grin. Lifting his arm, he threw something on the ground at our feet. I looked down and found a wadded up pair of underwear.
“He’s naked, Eva!”
Eva laughed at my surprise. “As soon as I’m in the water, I will be too!”
“You’re going skinny dipping?”
“Yeah, I have to get out of all these clothes.” She paused and gave me an inquisitive look. “Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed? You can’t see squat under that nasty water.”
Eva was right. No one could see below the surface but I wasn’t so sure being naked around Ryder was such a good idea.
“Wait. Have you ever been skinny–dipping?” she asked.
“Well, no, Eva. I just don’t do that kind of thing.”
She looked at me with astonishment. “All the times you and Ryder went swimming as kids and you never went butt–naked?”
I blushed. “No. If we had, I wouldn’t have been a twenty–one year old virgin.”
“Wow! That says a lot about how you feel about him,” Eva said, pulling off her shorts.
“Yeah, I know. He never tried anything with me so I thought I never had a chance with him. He was always dating these beautiful blondes with perfect bodies and here I was; short, average, and lacking in all the right places.”
“You’re gorgeous, Maddie. Women would kill to look like you.”
“But how do I know Ryder isn’t just using me because I’m convenient? Or maybe I was just a challenge for him and now he can mark it off his to–do list. Sleep with Maddie. Check! ” I sighed with despair. “I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“Do you love him?”
I could only tell her the truth.
“Yeah, I do. But if he doesn’t want a relationship and doesn’t believe in love, where does that leave me? I can’t just be his plaything.”
“Would you sleep with him again?”
I thought about that night with him. How it felt, how I wanted to repeat it over and over despite the ‘only friends’ clause hanging over our heads.
“In a heartbeat. I just can’t resist him.”
“And therein lies the problem. No one can resist him and he knows it,” Eva said knowingly, giving me a look of pity before wading into the water.
I knew she was right. Women, both young and old, flocked to him like bees to honey. He ate it up too; flirting, teasing, and seeing just how far he could take it. Most of the time, it was all the way. Not many women said no to Ryder Delaney.
I wanted to think I was special, that I wasn’t just another one of those weak–willed women, but my inner voice called me stupid. I wasn’t any different than the other women who came and went through his life.
"Hey, Maddie!" Eva flicked water my way, trying to get my attention. "Get in here!"
A bra and panties went flying through the air, landing near me. She laughed then yelped playfully when Brody grabbed her from beneath the water.
I smiled, their exhilaration rubbing off of me. Then I looked at Ryder.
His eyes were on me, scorching me. My smile faltered. My breath caught. He slowly started walking out of the water, looking like one of those models you only saw on TV commercials. The water dripped off of his ripped abdomen to run down into boxer shorts that stuck to him like a second skin. I couldn’t look away. I had to remind myself to blink. To swallow. To breathe.
“You coming in, Maddie?” he asked, stopping inches from me. His eyes held a challenge, one that I instantly resented.
“Yes,” I answered, refusing to let him see the effect he had on me. Feeling nervous and out of my comfort zone, I attempted to lift my shirt over my head. M
y bandaged hand caught on the material, snagging the bandage and making me wince.
“Turn your back, Brody!” Ryder shouted over his shoulder, not breaking eye contact with me. His blue eyes gleamed, uncontrollable desire burning in them. Taking the edge of my shirt, he started to lift the thin cotton upward.
I smacked his hand away. “What are you doing, Ryder?”
“Helping.”
He paused a second, waiting for me to give permission. When I didn’t, he pulled the t–shirt over my head anyway.
Brazenly, his gaze lowered to my bra. “I’m not going to pass up the chance to get you naked.”
“Ryder…”
“Let me take the bandage off your ribs.”
My heart skipped as his fingers brushed against my ribcage, unwrapping the bandage carefully.
“Shorts too,” he said, sliding his fingers under my waistband.
“This isn’t a good idea, Ryder.” My voice sounded breathless, sultry, not at all like myself.
He slowly pushed my shorts down.
“Why?”
“Because friends don’t do this.”
“It’s all in innocence, Maddie,” he said in a raspy voice, pulling my hair out of the ponytail holder and letting it fall down my back. “Don’t you like my hands on you?”
I couldn’t answer as his hand moved from the nape of my neck down my arm. Taking my injured hand, he ran his thumb over the bruises. His jaw flexed at the sight of my broken finger, still splinted and wrapped. His eyes blazed at me, the fire in them from anger instead of need.
“You can’t bathe with this broken finger.”
“I’ll manage.”
“No, I’ll help.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant but I followed him deep into the water anyway. Holding my bandaged hand above the surface, I stopped when the water reached my chest. My eyes grew round as Ryder pulled off his boxer shorts and tossed them on the bank. Oh. My. Goodness. He was naked and only a foot in front of me.
I started to step back when his hand lashed out to grab me.
“Come here.”
As he pulled me closer, his hands moved to the small of my back. With one little twist of his fingers, he had unclasped my bra. I gasped and sank lower into the water as he slid it from my arms and flung it back to the creek shore.