Page 26 of The Fence Between Us

He hadn’t planned to show anyone what he’d purchased, certainly not Skye. Not yet anyway. Still, when Declan and Dash suggested that he take Skye somewhere safe, he’d already known exactly where they’d go. Hardly anyone knew he owned the place, and even fewer knew about his connection to the land. He turned down the short gravel road that led to a dead-end where two houses sat beside each other, an invisible diving line as tangible as the fence between the two pieces of property.

When the land originally went up for sale, Rabble wanted nothing to do with it. Maybe someone else restoring it would erase the stains of the past that infected the acreage. But the realtor, who had been friends with his mother before that drunk driver killed her, tracked Rabble down to let him know about the sale. He’d told her no during that initial phone call. He never wanted to return to where his father had spent so many years treating him and his mother like shit, but his desire to forget the offer warred with the underlying sense that he’d miss it. After all, that land was his mother’s final resting place. Atleast, that’s how he justified his rash purchase, not wanting to dive deeper into the baggage attached to those few measly acres. The title company managed to finalize the sale just a few days before Rabble and the twins left to spend the Independence Day holiday in Shiloh Hills.

Rabble pulled into the familiar gravel and dirt driveway. The strong oak tree still stood guard by the fence, which the Wellingtons replaced with tall vinyl panels, separating the two parcels of land with a finality that echoed in his chest. The mobile home he’d grown up in had long since been hauled away, and he wondered absently if they’d taken it away in one piece or in sections. The man who purchased the land after Rabble’s father died brought in a single-room hunting cabin that he left behind. The simple cabin was small but serviceable, and Rabble appreciated its existence, especially now.

His truck crunched over riverbed gravel out front, the headlights shining against the hunter-green door and illuminating the short porch. Trees and brush grew tall around the building, disguising the piles of rusting metal and old tires that still lingered from his childhood. He took a few moments in the early dawn to let the memories wash over him, crashing into him like waves on the shore. The good ebbed and flowed into the bad, reminding him that no matter how much he hated the place because of his worthless father, he had good times here too, thanks to his mother and Skye.

He gently shook Skye’s shoulder, coaxing her awake from where she’d fallen asleep against the window. She stirred, groaning as she stretched and brushed sleep from her eyes. Rabble jumped out and opened her door. She roused enough to take his hand as she got down. He held her steady on her feet and kept his arm secured around her as they ascended the two cinderblocks that stood in for stairs. Reaching into his pocket, he took out the key he received at the title office and slipped theintricately cut metal into the doorknob, turning the lock until it clicked.

Rabble followed Skye inside, feeling along the wall until he found and flipped on the light switch. A cozy warm light filled the space, brightening the studio-apartment room with a twin-sized bed pushed against one wall, a simple kitchen along the other, and a closed-off bathroom in the far corner. As far as hunting cabins went, this minimalistic one covered basic needs. Still, the homey feeling surprised Rabble.

“Not many know about this place,” he said, noting the quizzical look in Skye’s pretty blue eyes. “You should be safe here.”

“I never doubted that for a moment, but—”

He waited; certain she had questions. Not a single part of him wanted to dive into the emotional background that would likely accompany any question she dredged up. He barely held back a sigh of relief when the inquisitive look left her eyes and she let the subject drop.

He glanced around the space again before locking the door and tossing his keys and wallet onto the countertop in the kitchenette area. Next, he pulled the curtains shut over each of the three windows, blocking the view inside the cabin. He smirked at the stereotypical lodge patterns of black bears, wild ducks, and deer that adorned the home-sewn curtains. He’d never been more grateful for the closing paperwork clause that stated the cabin came “fully furnished.” He’d expected the furniture but not the full set of dishes and silverware, the blankets, or the toilet paper stored in the bathroom. He whistled long and low and shook his head with gratitude.

While Skye settled into one of the questionable folding kitchen chairs, he tracked down a set of linens for the twin mattress and threw several heavier blankets on the floor next to the bedframe.He also grabbed one of the two pillows from the bed and tossed it down with the blankets.

“Let’s get some sleep, Skye.” He ignored the early morning sun peeking through the sliver of glass that the curtains didn’t cover and shrugged off his shirt.

Her blue eyes glimmered with something akin to appreciation, bordering on slight embarrassment and Rabble smirked to himself. Exhaustion pulled at her heavy eyelids but, despite her tiredness, if he wasn’t mistaken, she was totally checking him out.

She didn’t argue. Dragging her feet over to the bed, she flopped down, shoes still on and everything, the night’s adrenaline having faded away. Her gaze stayed trained on him though, her cheek pressed against the sheets as her eyes followed his every move. Rabble chuckled silently and maybe he flexed a bit more than necessary, enjoying the way her cheeks pinkened. He helped her slip out of her shoes and socks, and after he threw the tan and green printed comforter over her, she shimmied off her denim shorts. Her eyes finally drooped and Rabble settled onto his blankets, an arm tucked under his head, and closed his eyes with a deep sigh.

For the first time since Declan received that phone call from Bekah, Rabble felt like his lungs could expand and he could actually breathe. His body demanded sleep, but his brain kept replaying watching Declan answered the phone, when the medic pulled that bloodied gauze away from Skye’s forehead, when she looked at Rabble with pain in her eyes. He may be able to breathe now, but his heart still hammered. Taking another deep breath, he willed his body to relax.

She’s safe.He chanted that to himself until sleep finally claimed him.She’s safe.

***

He couldn’t have been asleep long when Rabble jolted awake, disoriented and frantic. Nothing around him looked familiar, and a sense of dread welled up, squeezing in around his heart. He jack-knifed into a sitting position, eyes searching every corner until he was confident there was no immediate threat. Skye no longer lay beneath the covers on the bed, but a light shone from the bathroom. God help him if his eyes didn’t stay glued to the door until she emerged, fresh from the shower.

Despite her hair hanging in wet clumps around her face, the dark half-moons under her eyes, and the jagged gash on her forehead, Rabble couldn’t recall a time he’d ever seen Skye look more beautiful. She was adorably disheveled in his humble opinion.

“What time is it?” he asked, voice rough from sleep, a heavy tiredness in his bones.

“Around dinner time. You hungry?”

He hadn’t noticed the delicious scent that hung in the air and made his stomach growl ferociously.

Pizza.

He frowned at the delivery box on the counter.How had that gotten here?

“Dash called while you were still zonked out,” Skye said as she slid a slice of pepperoni pizza onto a paper plate. “He tracked your phone and brought us this, along with some clothes.”

For the first time, Rabble took in the black athletic leggings and lilac tunic shirt she’d put on after her shower. Part of him wanted to be angry with his best friend for tracking them, especially considering he hadn’t told Dash or Declan about the property yet. The other part though, the part that grumbled and growled at the smells wafting around him, thanked his brother for taking initiative and caring for them.

Rabble groaned as he got to his feet and threw his blankets on top of the bed. A long, life-altering stretch later, he felt mostlyhuman. Despite being in his twenties, he was too damn old for this.

After emerging from the bathroom, Rabble smiled at the picture before him. Skye sat at the fold-out kitchen table in one of the two dubious folding chairs. Two plates of greasy pepperoni pizza and a couple bottles of water sat atop the flimsy table, and she held out one hand, indicating he should take the opposite seat. Her other hand gripped a slice of pizza like it might escape her. She paused, lifted the pizza halfway to her mouth, and waited for him to sit down.

As she tore off the end of her pizza slice with a moan, Rabble sat up straighter, the sound like music to his ears.

She chewed and swallowed before asking, “So what’s the plan? I mean, we can’t stay hidden forever. We all have jobs, and the Independence Day parade will be here in just a few days.”

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