Page 10 of Wild Runaway
She doesn’t look reassured, and I make a mental note to give her a lesson on basic mountain safety when I get back.
I chuckle to myself as I get into the pickup. This small town girl doesn’t know a thing about the mountains, and I can’t wait to teach her.
A few hours later, I’m at the general store in Wild. It’s easy enough to get diapers here and formula, but I’ll have to go across the mountain to Hope to get the other things I need.
Larry, who runs the store, looks at me suspiciously when I put the diapers down on the counter. But I don’t say anything. It’s none of his damn business, and I don’t want to let the whole town know about Trish.
There’s a baby store in Hope, and I browse the aisles trying to figure out what Rose needs. There’s all in one outfits and cute animal t-shirts and tiny little dresses. I forgot to ask how old Rose is, but if human babies don’t wean until six months, she must be younger than that. I pick up a cute onesie with a smiling giraffe and another with a fox. I stay away from the laughing bear; I don’t want her to think bears are approachable.
Geez, if any of the guys were here they’d give me shit. But I already feel like a protective dad towards this baby.
There are a bunch of baby toys and I rifle through them, trying to find one that isn’t a choking hazard. I settle on a colorful caterpillar and a wind-up car that will work well on my wooden floors.
I’m guessing Trish doesn’t have a lot of baby clothes in that little bag of hers, so I throw in a couple of singlets and a baby changing mat. I find a travel crib and a baby sling. I’ve noticed Rose doesn’t like to be put down, and this way she can stay close to her momma while Trish keeps her hands free.
I take it all to the counter and scowl when I recognize Trudy. The last time I saw Trudy was when I helped install a ramp at their house after her son had an injury and needed assistance. She’d spent the entire time telling me and the boys all the gossip on the mountain, as if we care who’s seeing who and who’s newly divorced and whose daughter is off to college.
“Hello Joseph.” She eyes the baby stuff I put on the counter. “You got some news you want to tell me?”
Her eyes light up, eager for the gossip.
The last thing I want to do is get into a conversation about Trish. Trudy’s a decent woman, but I know how town gossip works. It spreads quicker than wildfire around these mountains.
“Got a friend staying for a few days.”
She wants to ask more, but I cut her off with a question about washing instructions on the baby clothes.
While she’s talking, I pay up and get out of there as soon as she hands me my bags. Her curious look follows me out of the shop.
I’m walking back to the pickup when a glint of bronze in a shop window catches my eye. I stop in front of a boutique jewelry shop and stare at the clip in the window display. Trish’s hair always slips over her shoulder, and a clip would help her keep it out of the way. And she’d look damn good with her hair half clipped back.
I stop into the shop, smiling to myself as I imagine her face when I give it to her.
6
TRISH
With the peace and quiet of the cabin, the knot in my stomach unwinds as the morning goes on. I give Rose tummy time on the rug, and she giggles as I pull funny faces at her.
We go for a walk outside but not too far from the cabin. Joseph freaked me out when he talked about bears.
There’s a vegetable garden surrounded by chicken wire and a greenhouse with the last of the season’s tomatoes. I pull out a few weeds and pick a shiny red tomato to have with lunch.
Rose gets restless, so I bring her in for another bottle and change her into the last diaper. It reminds me how lucky we are to have found Joseph. If he hadn’t have shown up at Hailey’s, I don’t know what I would have done. And if I didn’t have Hailey to run to in the first place…
I shudder at the thought and pull Rose close to my chest.
She gurgles happily, and I walk her around the cabin until she falls asleep. It’s usually the only way she can get to sleep, resting on me. Maybe she tuned in to the turmoil that was going on in the trailer where we came from. But for whatever reason, she won’t sleep unless she’s pressed up against me.
I walk around the cabin, rhythmically pacing until her breathing gets heavy. Once I know she’s asleep, I slow down and peer at the photos on the cabin walls.
There’s a group of men in front of big motorbikes like the one I noticed parked in a shed behind the cabin. They’re all wearing the same leather jackets that Joseph has, but for a motorcycle club, they look friendlier than I would have imagined. I find Joseph near the back. He’s the only one not smiling. His blue eyes stare intently at the camera.
Another photo shows him in his military uniform, standing tall with a group of men. He looks haunted, his gaze looking down, unable to meet the eye of the camera.
It makes me wonder why he left the military and how he ended up here. There’s a lot I don’t know about Joseph, only that he’s kind and I feel safe in his presence. And for now, that’s enough.
My arm aches, and I risk putting Rose down. I ease her between the towels of the makeshift baby bed, holding my breath as I lower her onto the bedding. She stirs but doesn’t wake up. Relieved, I tip-toe out of the room but leave the door open so I’ll hear her as soon as she wakes.
