ANWEN WOKE TO A SPLITTING headache and a sense of extreme disorientation. The room she was in was not familiar. The sheets that met her fingertips were crisp with starch, and definitely not the most comfortable. Trying to sit up, she noticed a row of unmade beds across the walkway.
“Where am I?”
“Easy now,” Tyler said, pressing her back against the pillows. “Doc says you have a mild concussion, and maybe a bit of heat stroke. Nothing too serious. Can’t be too cautious though.”
Anwen moved a hand to her chest. The usual pressure of the chains round her neck was absent. If she'd lost that pendant--
Correctly interpreting her sudden apprehension, Tyler did his best to calm her. “It’s all right. I have them in a safe place. I removed them before we arrived at the dispensary. They’re back at my place. Promise.”
Anwen settled back with a sigh of relief. Noticing a bandage on one arm, she lifted it for closer inspection, touching the edges with her fingertips. She glanced up, her eyes filled with questions.
“What happened after we got back to the road? I mean, I sort of remember going down to the lake, but it’s all a bit of a blur.”
Tyler turned to pour a glass of water from a pitcher on a nearby tray, then offered the cup to her. “You blacked out on the way back but I managed to get you to the village without too much trouble. Took you straight to the infirmary where you’ve been out cold for the past two days.”
Anwen almost choked on the water. “What?” The liquid dribbled down her chin as she hastily handed him the cup.
“Calm down. Do you want the nurse to come running before I can explain anything?” Tyler admonished as he ran a hand through his hair. “I'm sure you needed the rest. I didn't say it earlier, but you did look like death warmed over.”
Rolling her eyes, Anwen held her breath and counted to ten. It was true she needed the rest, but to be out for two whole days? Ridiculous! “So, what, they plugged me up to an I.V. and just let me sleep?”
Tyler's nod confirmed her guess. “I told them we'd gone off on a joy ride and you'd fallen off the bike.”
Anwen smacked him. “You told them I fell off your stupid scooter? As if that would ever happen!”
Tyler massaged the slight welt she'd raised on his skin. “You're not supposed to get all riled up,” he warned. “Doc's orders.” Despite that, he couldn't help but grin. No one had smacked him in years.
Anwen glared at him. “Then don't rile me up!” Red splotches ran across her cheeks with the heat of her words. She clenched her fists to keep from hitting him again, even though it was very tempting.
Still grinning, Tyler leaned forward, well aware that he was presenting an easy target. “To be honest, I told them you wanted to go see some of the other sights and wasn't watching where you were going. The rest, as they say, is history.”
The nurse bustled over, sparing Anwen the need to reply. She wore a starched white apron and a crisp cap, filling all the stereotypes of an old-fashioned practitioner. She even wore freshly blacked shoes.
“Ah, you’re awake,” the nurse exclaimed and moved to take her patient’s vitals. "We rather thought you might be up today."
Tyler moved from his chair, taking a seat on the bed next to Anwen’s cot. He grinned like the cat that got the canary, one knee pulled up to his chin as he all but smirked. It was fun to see the different expressions on Anwen's face. There were many.
Anwen gave him a dirty look, unable to say what she really wanted because of the thermometer stuck under her tongue. While she was distracted, the nurse took her blood pressure. Tyler was having way too much fun with this, the girl decided, and wondered just how she could get back at him for it.
The nurse removed the cuff from Anwen’s arm and clucked her tongue. “Feeling a bit stressed are we? Not to worry, though. We’ll have you fixed up in a jiffy.” She removed the thermometer from Anwen’s mouth and made a few notes on her clipboard as she glanced at the mercury tube. “But at least your fever's gone down.” She patted the young girl on the head before bustling back down the long line of beds.
Tyler all but burst out laughing as soon as the matriarch was gone. “The expression on your face!” He clapped his hands in mirth.
Anwen bit her lip and remained silent as he all but exploded with laughter, giving him his moment. He would get his soon enough. “Very funny indeed,” she commented dryly, deciding to end his little amusement. “I’m sure you’d look just as funny if you were in my shoes. Maybe you could even fit into them. You’re just so small and dainty.”
“Maybe,” Tyler shrugged, “but I hope not. I doubt I’d be as endearing.”
Footsteps sounded from near the nurse's station. Instead of the nurse, an older man wearing a lab coat came walking down. His attention was focused on the chart the nurse had given him, spectacles sliding down his nose.
Having reaching Anwen's bed, he stopped and looked up at his patient. “Ah, Miss Post. You’ve had a most eventful visit to our little village, haven’t you?”
Tyler moved from his seat and came around to where the doctor stood, giving him a firm pat on the back. “Hey, Doc. How’s our little tourist doing? Ready for more adventures yet?”
The doctor turned to Tyler with an almost absent air. “Ah, yes, Mr. Durand. I understand you’ve taken Miss Post under your wing. And a good thing too.” He glanced back down at the chart he’d been studying.
“Everything looks in order, though I do suggest taking things easy for a while. And no adventuring for at least another twenty-four hours.” He glanced wryly at Tyler.
Anwen nodded, a bit relieved. Her adventures so far had resulted in some rather traumatic events. And even though she’d been out of the office, so to speak, for the past two days, she wasn’t quite ready to head back out on the trail just yet. “That won't be a problem,” she assured him.
Tyler stuck his tongue out from behind Doc’s back, making faces. Anwen raised a brow at his antics. Clearly he was not above acting juvenile from time to time, despite his riddle making and supposed maturity.
Doc pushed his glasses back up his nose as he gave Anwen one more look over. “Make sure you come back if you experience any more dizziness or nausea. I’ll have the nurse draw up a prescription for any residual pain while I fill out the discharge papers.”
"Is she ready to go then, sir?” Tyler immediately stopped making faces the moment Doc turned around to face him.
The doctor nodded as he scribbled something on his clipboard. “Yes, yes. Just make sure you keep her from doing anything too strenuous, understood?”
Affecting a salute, Tyler gave an earnest smile. “Yes, sir.” He sent Anwen a wink as the doctor walked away. “They should have someone bring your clothes before too long,” he said as he pulled over a changing screen. “Promise I won’t look.”
No more than a few minutes later, the nurse bustled back with Anwen's clothes, along with a prescription for the headache.
Anwen shed the blankets and pulled the screen around her. She wished for a clean set of clothes. Instead, she settled on waiting while the nurse explained how to take her medication.
Satisfied, the nurse bustled back to her station, preparing for any other possible patients who might show up.
Anwen ran her fingers through her tangled hair. “I must look quite a sight,” she sighed, trying for some humor as Tyler walked her down the infirmary ward and out of the small hospital. “I can’t even begin to imagine how I must smell.”
“Not as bad as you think,” Tyler responded, escorting her towards the inn. “How about I let you take some time to clean up and we meet in the dining room for an early dinner? Sound good?”
Half nodding but distracted, Anwen slowed her pace. She felt like someone was watching her and looked towards one of the many stores along the street. For a brief moment she thought she’d seen Courtney standing there, staring at her. Or maybe someone else. She wasn't sure.
A cold prickle ran down her back and she inv
oluntarily reached a hand as if to scratch at her neck.
Tyler noticed her sudden decrease in speed and put a hand on her shoulder, looking at her with some concern. “Are you all right?”
Anwen shuddered and started moving again. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
She tried to look back at to where she’d seen the girl but couldn’t see her. Either she had slipped out of sight or Anwen was seeing things. Which ever was the case, the sensation at the base of her neck did not bode well.
Tyler walked her up to her room, making sure she arrived without incident. There was something about her hesitation walking back that he found disturbing. It was obvious she'd felt something, though he wasn’t sure what or why. He would have to keep a better watch.
Even though no one knew who she really was, it was possible someone would figure it out. He couldn’t let that happen, not until she was ready to face them.
“Tyler!” Courtney all but pounced on him as he exited the inn, slipping her arm around his. “I was waiting for you! Just finish with another one of your jobs? These tourists, right? I swear they’d fall off the mountain if someone didn’t look after them.” She rolled her eyes.
Tyler extracted his arm from her grasp with as much grace as he could muster. “Courtney, I wasn’t expecting you. To what do I owe the honor?”
Courtney giggled. “I was wondering if you wanted to catch a bite, I mean, now that you’ve finished babysitting for the night. You are finished aren’t you?”
He strode down the stairs, Courtney trailing behind him like a balloon on a string. “Not exactly,” he admitted. “I’m volunteering at the inn tonight.”
Catching up to him, Courtney matched his pace. “Oh good! I can help you! I mean it’s not like I have anything better to do, right? You’re going there to keep an eye on that stupid tourist girl, are you? I mean come on! Who really falls off a mountain?”
Tyler resisted the urge to use the retort on his lips. Instead, he turned down the street and headed towards City Hall. “She didn’t fall. She tripped on some loose rocks. I just wanted to make sure she was okay.”
“You’re so caring,” Courtney gushed with admiration. She took his arm in hers again and gave him a squeeze. “If only I had someone who cared that much about me.”
“That would be nice, wouldn’t it,” Tyler replied with an air of distraction.
Out of all the boys in the area, why she decided to attach herself to him was a mystery. It wasn’t like he tried to make himself stand out, though that did tend to happen. She could have her pick of any of the boys, and had had most of them wrapped around her finger at one time or another. What was it about girls and wanting what they couldn’t have?
Courtney beamed at his words, squeezing his arm once more. “Okay, it’s settled then. I’ll see you later tonight at the inn. This will be so fun!” She let him go with a slight squeal of excitement and dashed off.
Tyler paused to watch her run off. “That girl needs to find a better hobby.” He checked his watch, secretly peering around to see if anyone was watching. Satisfied, he slipped between two of the buildings and disappeared into the shadows.
Anwen washed her hair at least three times before she felt clean, avoiding the slight lump still at the back of her head. She thanked her lucky stars the doctor had thought to give her some kind of painkillers for the headache. The relief had been immense. It was even more amazing now that she felt almost one hundred percent back to her usual self.
She contemplated her reflection in the mirror. The only things missing were her pendant and the chain with her father's wedding ring, which she hoped to reclaim soon.
Glancing at the pile of dirty clothes, she made a mental note to find the laundry facilities Madame Millard had mentioned. She hoped they were coin operated, or, better yet, free. With her luck, they’d be operated with a credit card, like the ones in the city.
Anwen took an extra moment to primp, her heart skipping a beat as she thought about meeting up with Tyler. Shaking her head at the reflection, she chided herself. He wasn’t really interested in her after all, just curious about a stranger in a strange land.
That had to be it, though it didn’t explain why he’d agreed to keep her secret. Or why he'd hidden her pendant from everyone else.
After another quick glance in the mirror, she grabbed a leather jacket that matched the blue jeans and shirt she wore. The crystal earrings dangling from her ears swung about as she all but dashed to the door, locking it behind her. She felt an almost giddy eagerness.
It didn’t hurt to admit that she thought Tyler was good looking. And, despite his rather interesting eccentricities, she couldn’t help but like him. Taking the stairs two at a time, she almost ran into someone at the bottom landing.
Courtney had timed things perfectly, even down to being almost run down by the stupid tourist. She pretended to stumble, and then looked up with a stunning smile. “Oh hey! What a coincidence! Who thought I’d run into you here of all places? I mean I was just coming over to meet Tyler. He is working here tonight, after all.”
Anwen paused in confusion. “Uh, hi, Courtney,” she responded. “I didn’t know Tyler worked here.” She pulled at a strand of hair, resisting the urge to rub at the back of her neck. “I mean, he mentioned meeting for an early dinner.”
Courtney all but smirked, pleased that this tourist was off her usual footing. “Well, he often comes over to help out. Morning, afternoon, night, whichever suits his fancy. He likes to keep an eye on the village guests. I guess you could say he likes to make sure they don’t make complete fools of themselves, or something like that.” She waved an errant hand.
An almost sickly sweet scent filled Anwen’s nose as Courtney flung her blond hair to one side. The village girl was wearing a somewhat revealing top, low cut with lace, and sleek pants. Her clothes were definitely not country fair. The outfit was something out of a fashion magazine. Anwen couldn’t help but wonder how she’d gotten them, let alone how she didn’t fall out of them.
“Oh,” Anwen brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and tried to pretend that Courtney’s words hadn’t stung. “That’s really nice of him.”
The blond girl laughed like she’d just heard a funny joke. “Tyler’s always looking out for the ‘little guy’, making sure they don’t fall into the cracks. All the girls go head-over-heel crazy for him, but there’s only one real love in his life.” She winked, leaving Anwen wondering.
Neither girl seemed to notice as Tyler walked up behind them. Having overheard the last bit of the girls’ conversation, he decided to join the game. “Would that be a matter of fact or opinion,” he questioned with a raised brow.
“Tyler!” Courtney all but threw herself at him. She gushed about how she and Anwen had just happened to run into each other and wasn’t it just the funniest thing?
Anwen shifted her feet, feeling uncomfortable. Tyler didn't look too happy about Courtney hanging off of him, but decided there could be a multitude of reasons behind that. He didn't brush her off, though, and she thought more telling.
Clearing her throat, Anwen tried to move into the dining area with little success. It was obvious that Courtney didn't intend to unwind herself from Tyler any time soon. But if she didn't, there wouldn't be enough room for her to enter the dining room so she gave up on niceties and just pushed past the local girl. “Excuse me.”
Courtney looked up from fawning over Tyler's choice of attire. “I wonder what's gotten into her,” she said with disdain. She managed to mask her tone at the last moment. After all, it wouldn't do to antagonize Tyler, especially not since he seemed to like Anwen.
Tyler let out a sigh and broke free from Courtney's hold, rolling his eyes when he was sure she couldn't see the gesture. Courtney wasn't a bad person, but she was annoying and far from his type. In fact, he didn't plan on settling down with anyone for a long time. After all, there was no hurry, and he had too many things that needed his attention.
Courtney followed him, mut
tering to herself as she twisted one lock of hair repeated around the same three fingers. Tyler was supposed to fall in love with her, not that stupid girl. And why the usual methods didn't seem to be working were beyond her.
It didn't usually take this much effort to catch a guy's attention, let alone his heart. It had to be because of that girl. There was something different about her that Courtney didn't like.
Courtney's eyes narrowed a bit as she slowed her pace, watching as Tyler went over to where Anwen had found a seat. Dark thoughts swam in her head and it took some effort to remind herself to be careful.
Things couldn't happen like they had on the mountain pass. If something bad were to happen here, there would be no way it could be blamed on something more natural.
It had been pure chance that Courtney had caught onto Anwen's fear of heights. She just hadn't realized how afraid until she'd seen her reaction on the trail. A small part of her felt bad for the incident, but she quickly squashed it.
Anwen looked up, eyes almost meeting Courtney's. She wasn't sure why, but felt something wasn't right. Her gaze slid from the blonde's view and turned back to her seasoned noodles.
She'd barely said two words to Tyler since he'd sat down with his plate of mashed potatoes and meatloaf. She hoped he'd account for it with her just being tired. The hairs on the back of her neck were prickling and it was more than distracting without any further complications.
Moving towards the food, Courtney selected something at random. She then sauntered over to their table, inserted herself to sit closer to Tyler, shunting Anwen to the corner. “Well, isn't this fun, us all having dinner together?” She set one hand on Tyler's knee, which he ignored.
Tyler looked at Anwen. “Maybe if you feel up to it, we can visit the Old Mill tomorrow,” he suggested. “It's not too bad of a hike and offers a fantastic view of the river. And the mud should be mostly dried. We could make a day of it if you like.” He turned to include Courtney in the invitation, only because he didn’t want to be rude.
Courtney smiled. “Oh! Wouldn't that just be so much fun! I'd love to go! Please say you'll go too, Anna! That way we can all get to know each other better!”
For a brief moment, the blonde's eyes hardened as she turned to see Anwen's response. But her expression was back to bubbly before the other girl could notice.
Anwen looked up from her noodles. “Old Mill?”
“Oh, you’ll love it!” Courtney gushed. “It’s this absolutely adorable two-story building made out of stone. And it still has a working waterwheel! It’s a favorite for all visitors so you simply have to come along!”
Anwen bit the inside of her lip and glanced at Tyler. Courtney was being far too bubbly for her taste. All the girls who had acted like that back home were either shallow or had some ulterior motive in mind. She wasn’t sure which was the case with this excitable blond, nor was she sure she wanted to find out.
But Tyler had invited her. And, for some reason, she felt the invitation was not intended for the other girl. Since she was trying to figure Tyler out, she gave in. “Sure,” she agreed, going back to eating her pasta.
Courtney all but squeezed her, like they were the best of friends. “Oh my gosh! This is going to be so much fun! Just you wait!”
Rolling his eyes, Tyler wondered if there was some way he could get Courtney out of the picture. Then again, perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad thing to have her come along, though he doubted her motives. After all, she was using every trick in the book to try and catch him.
He’d seen it time and time again with the other young men in the village, and even with those who were just passing through. It was almost like a game to her. And since no one seemed able to catch him, he was the ultimate prize. He just hoped Courtney wouldn’t try anything stupid.
ten