Page 6 of Entangled in the Woods
Suddenly a hand reached out in front of me, and I gasped at how close he’d gotten. Just a second ago he’d seemed to be a good fifteen feet away.
I placed my hand on the stranger’s, my hand was so small in his. Without effort, the man pulled me to my feet, and I found my footing, quickly letting go. Rubbing my own on my shorts loosened a thick scion with a couple sprouting green leaves onto the ground. It must have been ripped from its rootstock when I’d fallen on top of it.
“Damnit.” I didn’t like disturbing plants. I picked up the scion and looked at the stem. It seemed like a clean break. “Do you have a key or anything pointy?”
He dug into the pockets of his jeans and pulled out a single car key with a black head cover.
“I can’t just leave it like this,” I said, mostly to myself.
Taking the key, I searched for the rootstalk the green stem had broken off from. It was easy to find, the stalk sticking upfrom the ground right where I’d fallen. Crouching down near the rootstalk, I pushed the key’s sharp tip straight into the cylinder of the stalk. This was a delicate procedure, especially since I was using a key instead of my usual tools. I pushed the key about a quarter inch into the stalk, widening the diameter. The stem easily slid into the hole, its diameter smaller than the rootstalk I’d just widened. I held it in place with my fingertips, searching for some long grass to tie it off with. I settled for some blue oatgrass that I recognized and was within reach. The oatgrass was long, and I was able wrap it around the stalk several times and tied it, assured that it would stay in place.
“You seem to know what you’re doing,” the man said, watching me.
I jumped back from my rescued plant; I had forgotten that he was here.
“Yeah, I’ve done it a few times before. It’s usually successful.” I sat back and admired my handywork before handing him his key.
“I wouldn’t go much farther. The rocks get even bigger. I had to turn around myself,” he said.
The man wasn’t dressed for the woods. He wore light blue jeans that had maybe been nice at some point but were now ripped with several holes. His simple black T-shirt also had seen better days. There weren’t any holes, but it was faded from consistent wear.
Closing my eyes and shaking my head, I tried to regain my composure. As I opened my eyes, I looked at the man’s face. He was tan from all the time he must have spent outdoors. His dark hair was long enough that he had to use his hand to push it back over the top of his head to keep it from falling into his face.
His face lit up with a smirk on his mouth—he’d caught me looking at him. “I’m headed back the way you came. Can I join you?”
I squeaked a “No” as I turned around and started walking.
The man easily caught up to me and kept pace alongside me. This was my worst nightmare as a runner—a man approaching me in the woods and now following me.
Keeping my eyes to the ground, I took in his shoes. His old sneakers didn’t look like something I would choose to walk in the woods with, but nothing about the rest of his outfit did either. Right now, I was beating myself up for not telling Jenny and Leo exactly where I would be running. Maybe I should have brought something with me to defend myself or something to leave behind in the case this man wanted to murder me or eat me alive. In these woods, a girl like me could easily disappear.
Finding the nerve to lift my head, I looked over at him. He had already trained his bright blue eyes on my face. Unlike myself, he didn’t need to watch his footing. He seemed to glide over the rocks gracefully.
“What are you doing out here?” I asked.
“I’m out for a run myself. I had to turn around back there. The trail got a little too…wild for me.”
A run? Who ran in blue jeans? The man looked me over. Now regretting my scantily clad running attire, I put my hands protectively over my stomach. Like that would do anything in my defense.
“I could ask the same question of you. What’s a pretty girl like you doing out here in the woods, dressed like that, all alone? There are all sorts of animals out here. Wouldn’t want them to catch the scent of you.”
“I was running,” I blurted out, picking up my pace. “My friends back at the cabin are waiting for me. I need to get back.”
My fast footsteps betrayed me as I tripped and lurched forward. With my arms crossed around my stomach, I yelped as I began to fall face first into the rocky ground. Two firm hands grabbed my shoulders and steadied me back onto my feet. Withhim standing right behind me, I could smell earth and sweat. He didn’t smell like a typical man would, but much to my dismay, I sort of enjoyed the earthy scent.
Breathing deeply, I let out an exhale as the man leaned over my shoulder and whispered into my ear, “Careful.”
It took me a moment to shake myself out of his hands, putting a couple feet of distance between us. I turned around quickly, looking the stranger in his blue eyes.
“Thanks…” I struggled to maintain my composure. The man had saved me from a fall, but I still didn’t feel comfortable with the way he was approaching me. His scent was throwing me off. Sure, he was attractive, but he obviously didn’t know how to approach a single woman on a run in the woods.
“My name’s Wilder. I live around here, but I’ve never seen you before.”
Trying and failing to break eye contact, I tried to calculate a coherent answer. “I’m new, I guess. I’m here doing research for the university. There’s a cabin not far from here where I live…which I need to be getting back to.” I immediately regretted my answer—I’d just given this large man, Wilder, way too much information.
“Ah, I’ve heard about that cabin. I’ve never seen it, though.”
“Great!” I squeaked awkwardly before turning around and saying “I gotta go!” over my shoulder.
